By Xinhua
Beijing : China began its weeklong Lunar New Year festival Wednesday, but millions will spend the nation’s biggest celebrations in the cold and dark in the wake of the worst winter in 100 years.
Citizens in Chenzhou, a city of about four million in central China, have already prepared torches and candles as necessities for doing new year shopping, in addition to meat, beef, edible oil, vegetable, new garments, wine and tobacco.
Radio, in particular, is now one of the most popular commodities as the city has endured 12 consecutive days of power blackouts and water cuts.
“We cannot watch TV, so my family will sit together and listen to the CCTV evening gala for Spring Festival aired by radio tonight,” said a local resident, Xiaotan. “But if power resumes, I think I will have a shower first.”
Wednesday marked the eve of Lunar New Year, known as Spring Festival, the most important festival for family gatherings in China with a population of 1.3 billion.
Currently, more than 3,000 people, including electricians, soldiers and armed police are struggling to restore power lines damaged by prolonged snow, rain and sleet.
Freak winter weather featuring prolonged snow, rain and sleet since mid-January in China’s eastern, central and southern regions has snapped power lines, covered roads with thick snow, brought trains, buses and planes to standstill and stranded millions of people.
The snow havoc has led to fatalities, building collapses, blackouts, accidents, transport problems and livestock and crop losses in 19 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, according to the ministry of civil affairs.
More than 100 million people have been affected, and at least 60 people have died in freezing cold.