Chinese delight in surprise New Year snowfall

World Today

China’s new year snow has created a lot of excitement across the country. CCTV’s Jin Yingqiao reported this story from Beijing.

In Chinese culture, snow at this time of the year is especially auspicious and this fall’s snow has ended more than 137 days without precipitation.

“From early October last year until the 18th of this month, there hasn’t been any obvious precipitation in the Beijing air. But the current weather will finally relieve that drought and ease any risks of fire-accidents,” Qiao Lin of the Beijing weather bureau said. “As well as that, low precipitation, high temperatures and dry winter air are suitable conditions for bacteria to reproduce. So this fall of snow decreases the occurrence of this.”

Many people have expressed their excitement about the snow on social media. One Weibo user said: “There’s not so much snow in Beijing, but had a lot of fun.”

The Forbidden City has also posted pictures of the snow-capped palace.

In northern Chinese province of Shanxi, they also had their first fall of the year. In the ancient city Pingyao, the weather has closed much of expressway.

“We must drive slowly, safety comes first, for the good of others and for ourselves,” a driver said, who did not give a name.

In Shijiazhuang, near Beijing, residents are enjoying themselves with some fun and games.

“This spring snow is quite surprising for me. It feels like all the creatures have woken up. We can see the winter jasmine here, so beautiful,” a local Shijiazhuang resident said, who also did not give a name.