Snow Cripples The Country

The effects of global warming are alive and well in China. Changing weather patterns are reeking havoc in the southern provinces (namely Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, and Guizhou) as snow blankets a region known for its mild winters and multiple yearly harvests. These catastrophic storms happen to coincide with the most chaotic traveling period of the year when hundreds of millions of workers and students travel back to their hometowns to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The recent storms have put a tremendous strain on China’s infrastructure and emergency response system. Millions of people are without electricity as power lines are affected and with most highways closed and trains backed up, power stations are quickly running out of coal to fuel their generators. Many factories, in fact, have been ordered to shut down to conserve the much needed energy.

Many en route find themselves stuck in their idle vehicles for days or camping out in relief tents as complete train stations and airports shut down. In Guangzhou, for example, over 500,000 have taken shelter outside the Guangzhou train station waiting for electricity and a ride home. It is estimated that over 20 million travelers are currently in limbo in the affected provinces.

Conditions aren’t that much better for the local residents. In the south, apartments and buildings are not built with any central heating and with snow piling up and temperatures dropping well below freezing, many people are clearly miserable. Electricity has become sporadic, water pipes have frozen, and food shortages have jacked up the costs of living. Cell phone towers are also responding poorly to the weather – so forget about telling your family that you’re ok.

The central and local governments say they are doing everything they can. Premier Wen Jiaobao has flown down to tackle the crisis and restore hope in the people. The disaster relief seems to be extensive and hefty donations and aid is on its way.

I don’t really know how bad it is down there for the average person, but if CCTV reporters (who love to sugar coat everything) says it’s horrible, then it must be pretty bad. Today’s English news broadcast (on CCTV 9) was fully devoted to reporting on the current disaster: an hour of correspondents saying the weather is bad, normalcy with come at some point, and the government is doing everything it can to address the problem. A typical in depth look at the situation without any interviews given or contingency plans laid out.

Perhaps, I don’t have the right to criticize a developing country’s capabilities to withstand major natural disasters….and I don’t think any American can be proud of the way we handled Katrina. But at least we saw the mess on TV and were deeply affected by the tragedy through images and personal stories. It was a wake up call that although devastating was vital in making us stronger by highlighting our weaknesses. I don’t see that in China. I think the infrastructure will be somewhat reinforced, people will buy more insurance, and possibly buy a gas heater. But major investments made by the country to take preventative action, like buying real snow blows and snow shovels (they use brooms to clear the highways), will not take place if you try to cover-up the misery.

But maybe I’m wrong – China is the best when it comes to playing psychological games. The Communist Party is never to blame since they are always the hero in the story, right? Nonetheless, the propaganda machine becomes less effective when a quarter of the country (larger then the population of America) can not feel their toes.


Today's weather in Beijing is a bit nippy but absolutely gorgeous (can see the mountains from my room).