Beijing disrupted by record snowfall
The authorities in Beijing have closed schools and mobilised thousands of people to help clear roads after the heaviest snowfall for nearly 60 years.
Up to 30cm (12 inches) of snow fell in China's capital and its neighbouring port city of Tianjin over the weekend. Thousands of travellers have been left stranded at Beijing's international airport, and more than 30 highways across northern China are closed.
Officials have ordered residents into work groups to clear the snow and ice. Heavy snowfall has also led to flight cancellations and delays in South Korea.
Not over yet
The snowfall over the weekend in Beijing was the most the capital has seen since 1951, according to local media reports.
Beijingers are a resilient lot. Even as the snow continued to fall, volunteers were mobilized, and took to the streets with snow-shovels in an attempt to clear it.
It's the heaviest snow in over half a century, over 33cm in some parts of the capital. The city is still functioning, but roads and airports are feeling the pressure. Some 2 million schoolchildren were given the day off, because of the weather. But it looks like they'll be back at their desks on Tuesday.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says the cold snap is halting normal activities in an area already used to heavy weather, but is not yet as bad as the 2008 freeze which caused huge power outages and transport breakdowns.
More than 3,500 schools in Beijing and Tianjin were forced to shut their doors on Monday, giving more than 2.2 million students an extra day of New Year's holiday, state media reported.
Originally Posted by wilbur
