Standing in a plaza at Harbin in China’s northernmost province of Heilongjiang, a tourist dressed as a dark angel with long black wings posed with a fake raven in one hand and coolly held her position. Her misty breaths are the only hints of the subzero temperature she is putting herself through for a photoshoot.Standing near the woman are several other tourists doing the same outside Saint Sophia Cathedral, a former Russian Orthodox church which has become an iconic landmark in the city.Dressed in elaborate costumes and armed with a variety of props to complete their transformations into snow queens and other fantastical characters, the tourists braved the winter cold while posing in one of China’s coldest cities where temperatures can drop as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius While cosplay is not new in many urban cities, these visitors are part of a growing trend of people who flock to Harbin to fulfil their regal fantasies by undergoing a makeover and immortalizing their look with a photoshoot.The popularity of Harbin’s fantasy themed photoshoots on social media coincides with the city’s peak tourism season, which officially kicked off on January 5 with the opening ceremony of the Ice and Snow Festival.Guo Dafan, owner of Mao Mao Makeup, a makeover and photoshoot shop, estimated that hundreds of similar businesses have opened near the cathedral within the last three months due to the demand.Mao Mao Makeup receives an average of 15 to 20 customers daily, Guo said, adding that the numbers sometimes double on a busy day. Each makeover session costs 600 to 800 yuan ($84.48 to $112.64), which comprises of makeup, costume rental, and a photoshoot. The whole process takes approximately two to three hours.This year, Harbin’s Ice and Snow Festival attracted a record number of 3.05 million visitors during the three-day New Year holiday that ended on January 1, generating a record-breaking tourism revenue of 5.914 billion yuan ($832.6 million), according to Chinese state media.