Waking Up to a Heatwave but Seeing Snow - Then Discovering the Astonishing Truth

A tourist village in China, known for its snowy landscapes, apologized after it was revealed that it used cotton wool and soapy water to create fake snow during unseasonably warm weather.

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in China, experienced unexpected warm weather during the Chinese New Year celebrations at the end of January. The snow, which usually blankets the village during this season, did not fall – leaving tourists disappointed to find a landscape different from what they expected.

To maintain the typical winter appearance, the management of "Chengdu Snow Village" decided to create artificial snow using large sheets of cotton wool spread throughout the area and on rooftops. The images published on social media showed an impressive winter scene, but it was not mentioned that the snow was fake – causing outrage among visitors.

"A snow village without snow," wrote one social media user, while others accused the site's management of intentional deception.

In response to the public outcry, the village management issued a formal apology on the Chinese app WeChat: "We sincerely apologize. In an attempt to create a wintry atmosphere, cotton wool was purchased to mimic snow… but it failed to achieve the desired effect and left a very bad impression on the tourists who visited." A refund was also promised to visitors.

According to reports, the synthetic snow has already been removed from the site. Amid the incident, China's Meteorological Office warns that the country is expected to face longer heatwaves and frequent unexpected rainfall as a result of climate change.