[Photo story] A cold start to the Year of the Rabbit
27 Jan 2023
Since China entered winter late last year, temperatures have plunged to record lows in various Chinese cities entering the Year of the Rabbit. ThinkChina brings you on a pictorial journey into these snowclad places in China, and how the Chinese people are spending the festivities.
A woman rests on a tour bus outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, on 23 January 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)
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Since mid-January, cities across China have been experiencing sub-zero temperatures, just as millions of people embark on the Chinese New Year travel rush, widely known as the world’s biggest human migration. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said temperatures fell by 8 to 12 degrees Celsius across much of eastern and southern China on 25 January.
Beijing
The NMC said that on the morning of 25 January, Beijing’s Mentougou district recorded its lowest-ever temperature of -22.4 degrees Celsius.
Shanghai
Cities from Shanghai to Tianjin and Guangzhou experienced their coldest days this winter on 24 and 25 January, but the chill did not stop the crowds from being out and about.
Jiangxi
Regional authorities have issued warnings about bad weather and low temperatures, while many people across China face a shortage of natural gas for heating during the cold winter.
Heilongjiang
In Heilongjiang in northeastern China, the temperature in Mohe city dropped to -53 degrees Celsius on 22 January, lowering the previous record of -52.3 degrees Celsius seen in 1969. Mohe is the northernmost city in China, located near Russian Siberia with a subarctic climate.
Liaoning
Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, also saw temperatures falling to -23.8 degrees Celsius.
With the launch of a series of ice-snow tourism activities, Liaoning province welcomed about 6.27 million tourists over the three-day New Year holiday, reaping a tourism revenue of about 4.8 billion RMB (about US$698 million).
Jilin
The 21st Chagan Lake Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival began on 25 January in Songyuan, Jilin province. The annual ritual dates back to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and was listed as an intangible national cultural heritage in 2008. Chagan means sacred, white or pure in Mongolian, and Chagan Lake spans more than 500 square kilometres, making it one of the ten biggest freshwater lakes in China. The two-month event is expected to attract 1 million tourists, with a revenue of about US$116 million.
This article was put together by Grace Chong and Candice Chan, ThinkChina.