In early January 2021, most areas of China were hit by persistent ultra-low temperatures, adding to the energy crunch. While the authorities focus on protecting large and medium-sized cities such as Beijing at the cost of environmental pollution, the vulnerable groups in urban and rural areas are in a worrying situation to survive the winter.
“China is being frozen”
Zhong Dajun, director of Beijing-based Grand Army Think Tank economic consulting firm, told the Voice of America, “This half month of severe cold, at least two major cool downs, the whole freezing through China, China is being speed frozen.”
Temperatures in northern China have plummeted since the New Year due to strong cold air, ushering in sustained extremely cold and windy weather on Jan. 6, with many parts of Beijing experiencing ultra-low temperatures of minus 17 degrees Celsius. ABC said the actual temperature in Beijing could reach minus 19.6 degrees Celsius, minus 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest record in half a century.
The Hong Kong Economic Times said a brutal cold snap has hit several areas of Beijing with temperatures as low as minus 17 degrees Celsius, with some areas in Haidian, Chaoyang and Pinggu experiencing power outages in the morning and evening without warning and sudden disruptions in heating. Residents complained online, with some even saying, “Will I freeze to death?”
Meanwhile, temperatures in northern China have dropped 8-10 degrees Celsius. Shandong Normal University reportedly had a power outage and students attended classes in the dark. Some students reported that “the heating is not hot, the food is cold, and the power is out at night”, jokingly saying “I am a caveman”, while others said “there is no Internet, no lights, no food, and I think I am fleeing. “.
The early morning temperature in Shanghai on January 8 was minus 7 degrees, the city’s lowest temperature in a century on the same day, many people were freezing in the cold because they had no heating, or no money to turn on the air conditioning for heating.
South of the Yangtze River, there was rare snow and ice. Taiwan media Newtalk said that some townships in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, have recently restricted water, and residents have difficulty even cooking at home, and bathing and going to the toilet have become even more problematic. Local media said the authorities had to lower the pressure and water in order to save electricity because of the weather.
Focus on protecting Beijing and other major cities
The authorities are focusing on protecting the capital and major cities with electricity and coal as China’s cold is widespread.
A report published by China News Service said that as of 21:00 on Jan. 6, the electricity load on Beijing’s power grid reached 24.51 million kilowatts, refreshing the historical maximum record of 23.56 million kilowatts in summer 2018 and setting another record high, of which heating accounted for 48.2%.
In 2017, the Beijing government attempted to realize its plan to “green” the city’s energy sources, but has since reignited power generation six times to address the city’s electricity needs, and environmental targets are no longer important in order to ease the power crunch, China Caixin said. Environmental targets are no longer important to ease the power crunch.
Ms. Feng, a resident of Chongqing, said that the authorities are keeping the city from boiling over under the cold to prevent public discontent. Chongqing’s electricity supply is still adequate: “Because of the tough character of Chongqing people, the authorities still guarantee the supply, and if we can’t help it, we will go to the street, a little uncomfortable to go to the street, the same as the American character. The government has been adopting a policy of pacification, moving where it dare not move the residents of the big cities.”
The disadvantaged in the bitter cold
What is the situation of the disadvantaged under the severe cold? Ms. Feng told the Voice of America that the situation of the disadvantaged there is more miserable: “There is no heating here in Chongqing in the north, all have to rely on themselves, those who have the conditions, their own homes to turn on the air conditioning for heating, however, there are still people who can not afford to give up. The disadvantaged, the more bottom of the barrel, no conditions, eat low income, no job kind of people, the situation is more miserable.”
Ms. Feng said the weather in Chongqing has been particularly wet and cold recently due to the low temperatures in the north, as it is a zone surrounded by two rivers, and she said, “Since New Year’s Day, half of my face has been swollen with cold dampness and false fire, plus a cold.”
In addition, many urban and rural areas across the country, as well as rural areas, are paying the price for the bitter cold. Beijing resident Mr. Xu said, “Some news I read online said that some rural areas have taken out their coal stoves, so maybe individual rural areas will be affected.”
Hong Kong 01 said that some local officials have been “removing stoves and sealing beds” for villagers, who are “afraid of freezing”. In Tangshan, several villagers died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
In Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong and other key areas of the countryside, urban and rural areas to promote “coal to electricity” and other environmental measures due to power shortages affected, resulting in a “ban on coal but not pollution. This extremely cold weather process, rural areas, a large number of emissions of soot, carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, the Chinese land air pollution situation further aggravated.
Experts: China’s lack of electricity is a fact
Beijing electricity consumption hit a record high, the public generally complained about the lack of heating, Zhong Dajun said: “The speed freeze China has brought a considerable amount of electricity consumption, will add another weight to the original economic demand, another demand. In this case I reckon that the problem of electricity shortage is very real and exists”.
Low-profile treatment of the quick-freeze effect
Hong Kong’s Economic Times said no mainstream media in mainland China reported on the recent power outages in some parts of Beijing, except for a number of posts on social media such as microblogs that “complained about the suffering of power outages on cold days.
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