Tidbits From the World

On November 11th, Xi’an had its first snowfall of the season.

Last year, I had not seen snow in Xi’an before I left the city in the middle of December.

The Summer of 2008 was terribly hot, but in 2009, the sky was covered most of the Summer and we had mild temperatures.

The Winter of 2008 was chill, but not very cold. In 2009, I am feeling the same cold that I would feel in Montreal. This year, I have the feeling that the temperatures are much more comfortable than last year.

It seems that the people were unprepared for this snowfall. On this photo, two girls working at the Mall are trying to take the snow away from the entrance. In Montreal, they would have used shovels. But here, they are using a broom, a stick and bare hands to gather the snow.

A father playing with his son.

It fell about 5 inches of snow.

The scenery was beautiful. For the first time, I felt like home in Xi’an.

November 11 was also “Bachelor’s Day”, in China, and the government sent me this text-message on my cellphone:

^O^人和事物的存在，都
有两面性，天下的光棍虽
然孤独，但也有一个完美
的时刻：11月11日11时11
分11秒，光棍万岁。

^O^ People and things both
have two sides: although bachelors
are lonely, there is still a perfect
moment for them: November 11th, 11 o’clock, 11
minutes, 11 secondes, long live the bachelors.

Since the first years of Communist rule in China, November 15th was chosen as the day to “switch on” the central heating for nearly all apartments and public buildings in the country. People have no control over their own heater, they can neither turn it on or off. This year, because of the early arrival of Winter, the government decided to advance the day to switch on the heaters to November 11th.

When I was looking for an apartment to move in, I visited this one where I am currently living at. When I first came with a real-estate agent, I was so impressed by the spectacular view from the window at the 16th floor and by the great TV set in the living room, complete with a DVD player and speakers, that I overlooked a very serious detail… there was no freezer. Only after I signed the lease and I moved in did I realize my mistake. But now, thanks to the falling temperatures, I can use my balcony as a freezer and store all my perishables… as long as the outside temperature does not exceed 4°C!

The next day, the snow had almost completely melted.

The surprising fact about this snowfall is that… it was artificially induced by the government! Using a method called “cloud seeding“, 84 packages of silver iodide were fired up to the sky using rockets. This technique is commonly used in China, for example before important celebrations, the authorities clear up the sky to make sure the rain won’t spoil the party. This snowfall was unexpected, as the authorities failed to notify the population prior to carrying out the seedings, which caused some major problems in the affected cities, especially in Beijing, where the International Airport had several flights delayed.

Here is an article about the snowfall in Beijing: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cityguide/2009-11/04/content_8911812.htm

***

Related Articles:

Miscellaneous Pictures from Xi’an (Porcelain Shops, Dangerous Intersections, Night Market, Workers, Construction Sites)

Strolling in Xi’an (Pictures of daily life in Xi’an: Mah Jong, Construction Sites, Photographers, Mao Portraits)

Window Shopper (Window-shopping monks in downtown Xi’an.)

Today’s China (Photos of Modern China)