Bill – Wu X iangbang - #0505020210

The Spring Festival has just passed. This festival is the most important traditional festival in China. When the northern part of China was filled with a happy atmosphere, the southern and eastern Chinese provinces were gradually recovering from the worst snowstorm in half a century.

Roads, highways, railways and airports were overwhelmed with heavy snows. Lots of trains and planes had been cancelled and postponed. Millions of travelers were trapped by the cold, snowy weather. Electric and water supplies were temporarily cut off. Many parts of eastern and southern China suddenly became “The City of Snow”. The snowstorm had greatly threatened people’s lives, making people worried, upset and anxious.

At first when I saw the TV, that thousands of migrant workers were rushing into the train stations, trying to go home for the traditional Chinese New Year, I thought that it was incomprehensible. I was wondering why there were so many people trying so hard to go home, and even risking their lives, waiting for more than two days in the snow.

I later began to understand it, for most of them the New Year’s holiday is the only chance for them to see their families in a year. My cousin did that also. He planned to be back home one week before the New Year, but it wasn’t until 5days after Spring Festival, before he was un-trapped from the cold weather in Guangzhou. We missed him very much; we talked on the phone every day, sending our regards to each other.

The electric supply was temporarily cut off when I stayed at home. There was nothing you could do without electricity at night in a remote mountain village. At other times, we watched TV together with little talk. Now, without TV, the families had to sit together around the stove and talk together.

This winter we had heard about many countries snowstorms on the news. I feel that I became much more mature over this Spring Festival. I took a part of my New Year’s money to donate to the disaster areas. Although it is little money, my intention was big. I am very happy that we all showed our love for those hit hard in the disaster areas and we showed human warmth for those in the disaster. Thanks to the storm, we loved each other deeper and deeper.