Belated snow blankets Beijing

Many residents call it a gift, but flights and trains see disruptions

After 107 days without any precipitation in Beijing, snow hit on Friday, bringing fun for some and pain to others.

The snowfall, which covered most of the city, was the second-latest winter snowfall in more than six decades since records began in 1951. The latest was on Feb 10, 2011.

On Friday, many residents said the snow was a belated gift that gave them some fun.

Gong Yuqi, a middle school student enjoying her winter break, said she had been waiting for the snow for the entire winter.

"Finally, here it is," the 13-year-old said.

"The ground is all white and it's beautiful everywhere. I'll make a snowman," she said.

Li Jiali, 27, a doctoral student at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, took advantage of the snow to have a romantic moment with his girlfriend.

They appreciated the snowfall and took photos in a park.

"It's great," he said.

But the student majoring in medicine did not forget to apply what he has learned in the classroom.

"The snow can improve air quality and it's good for people with respiratory conditions, but those with cardiovascular problems should be more careful," he said.

Wang Guangfa, director of the respiratory medicine department of Peking University First Hospital, said snow reduces the amount of dust in the air that carries viruses, so it helps control the spread of many viruses, including flu.

"Snow can also increase humidity and thus improves the health of people with chronic respiratory diseases," Wang said.

Friday was the first working day after the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, but those who have returned to Beijing from family reunions said the snow didn't bother them.

Sun Nan, who works for a State-owned enterprise, said there were far fewer cars on the road when he drove to work in the morning.

"Much of the snow on the main road had melted or been swept away, so I could almost drive at the usual speed and arrived at work on time," he said.

The Beijing Transport Commission said the snow had not caused much disruption to the city's rush-hour traffic.

Street cleaners deserve a big vote of thanks for this, said a statement from the Beijing City Administration and Management Commission .

The commission sent 15,669 cleaners and 4,536 snow-sweeping vehicles out onto the city's streets by 6 am on Friday.

Zeng Wenzhong was one of them. He said he started work at 5:30 am with around 30 colleagues on Beitucheng East Road in the city's Chaoyang district.

"We sprayed snow-dissolving agents on the street, and used brooms and shovels to sweep the snow from the pavement," Zeng said. "Although snow adds to my workload, I still like it because it improves air quality."

But not everyone is happy with the snow, such as people who have to travel to and from Beijing.

A total of 26 flights were canceled and 199 were delayed for more than one hour by 2 pm on Friday at Beijing Capital International Airport.

A total of 1,567 flights were scheduled to leave the airport on Friday, carrying 200,000 passengers.

The airport launched its emergency plan at 5:30 am.

In addition, the snow was responsible for a number of injuries.

A health worker from the emergency department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital who declined to be named said four or five patients suffering from injuries due to falls consulted doctors on Friday. They were in their 40s or 50s and were not seriously injured. "All of them could go home after treatment," she said.

According to the National Meteorological Center, Beijing is likely to see sunny skies on Sunday.

Blizzards have been pounding many parts of China since Tuesday. Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shanxi and Shandong provinces were all hit by heavy snow, with more than 100 high-speed trains delayed and 64 highways in eight provinces closed by Friday morning.

Contact the writer at zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn