Last week was the first snowfall of the winter in Shenyang. It was my first time experiencing snow and ice in China. I love the snow, so I was very excited. My students were also excited. Some of them are from southern China and had never seen snow before! There was probably two inches of snow, and many students built snow sculptures all around campus. The day after the snowstorm, the sidewalks and roads were extremely icy. I had to be careful not to slip!
The snowy environment of Shenyang is different from southern China. But, the snow here is just the same as it is in other cold environments around the world. This means that many people in Shenyang enjoy snow just like you do! They like to build snowmen, have snowball fights and do winter activities.
Snow, when it melts in the spring, provides a water source for the rivers and lakes in China. Without enough snowmelt, the rivers and lakes might dry up, or not be as nice of a home for the animals that live there. People are fish in the rivers and lakes for food, and they use the water for farm irrigation to grow crops, so having an environment where they can count on water being present is very important to life here.
