Urban flaws surface as the snow piles up

A winter dream for kids

In Jilin city, the heavy snowfall ceased after two days of continuous storms - much to the disappointment of Chen Han's 7-year-old son.

A boy has fun in the snow at a primary school in Jilin city, Jilin province. Wang Mingming / for China Daily

According to the landscape designer at a real estate company, the boy is desperate for the snow to resume. "He repeatedly murmurs and prays for more heavy snow. I know he's itching to have a snowball fight and make snowmen with his friends, but most of all, he likes the idea that he doesn't have to go to school," said Chen. "It's been an adventure for him, but for my wife and I, the week has been a total disaster.

"Both of us are very busy at work. The project I am leading is at the 'tests on completion' phase, so I couldn't ask for leave. My wife was unable to take time off either, so we had to ask my mother, who lives quite a distance away, to come and take care of my son," said Chen.

"To make things worse, my mother slipped on the icy road and sprained her ankle. My wife and I rushed back home and took her to the hospital, but, luckily, the damage wasn't too serious. It's reasonable for classes to be suspended in severe weather, but it would help if parents were given the option of working from home too, because life just becomes too complicated otherwise. The experts say there will be more heavy snow this winter, and I am really a little afraid of snowstorms now," he said.

Although the snow played havoc with Harbin's transport system and made life almost intolerable for the worst-affected residents, some people were still able to have fun. Many built snowmen and a group of newlyweds took the opportunity to snap some atmospheric photos of their wedding day.