Vehicles stranded on the road.
Xinhua News Agency (Reporter Jie Zhepeng): On December 15, Kunming, Yunnan, experienced a once-in-a-decade heavy snowfall, with moderate to heavy snow falling across the city, transforming the “Spring City” into a “Snow City” overnight. According to monitoring data, from 8:00 AM on December 15 to 8:00 AM on December 16, the precipitation reached 14.9 mm, and by 8:00 AM on December 16, the snow depth in the area had reached 4.8 cm. This was the first snowfall in Kunming in the second half of the year, and the intensity of the snowfall was rarely seen in the past decade.
Currently, all major highways in Yunnan have resumed traffic. Kunming Airport, which was temporarily closed, has also reopened. The main grid of the Yunnan Power Grid remains safe and stable, and emergency rescue and disaster relief efforts are still underway.
The ice and snow disaster has severely affected traffic on multiple major highways in Yunnan, including the Zhaotong–Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Kunming–Songming, Kunming–Shilin, Chuxiong–Dali, and Dali–Baoshan roads. The Yunnan transportation system quickly activated emergency plans, organizing the application of snow-melting agents, clearing snow, and providing boiled water and food to stranded drivers and passengers. By 4:00 PM on December 16, all major highways in Yunnan that had been interrupted due to low temperatures, rain, and snow had resumed traffic. On the Ningfeng Line (formerly the Dali–Lijiang Road) in Heqing County, Dali Prefecture, which was blocked by ice and snow, rescue vehicles were unable to pass due to the harsh weather, causing severe traffic congestion on this road from Lijiang to Dali, leaving a large number of people stranded. Local authorities organized more than 300 personnel, including traffic police, armed police, militia, officials, and local residents, to trek into the mountains overnight to carry out rescue operations. They transported relief supplies using manpower and horseback, and so far, more than 1,400 stranded individuals have been rescued and resettled.
Kunming Airport, which had been temporarily closed due to icy weather, reopened at 2:30 PM on December 16 after intensive de-icing of aircraft and runways. Airlines are actively reallocating crew resources and rescheduling subsequent flights. The heavy snow caused more than 100 rural power distribution lines of the Yunnan Power Grid to trip, affecting nearly 70,000 residents in Dali. In response, power supply units in Dali, Wenshan, and other regions immediately initiated emergency responses, and power repair crews worked through the night. By 4:00 PM on December 16, over 50 lines had been restored. The main grid of the Yunnan Power Grid remains safe and stable, and power departments are organizing efforts to urgently repair the remaining lines.
Heavy Snow • Firsthand Accounts
1,400 people stranded in snow for 20 hours
From Dali to Lijiang, what was supposed to be a perfectly planned trip was ruined by a sudden blizzard. Around 4:00 PM on December 15, a group of over 20 people, including Mr. Liu from Chongqing, were stranded 63 km along the Dali–Lijiang route. Starting at 2:00 PM on December 15, due to heavy snow, the entire 20-plus km stretch of the Ningfeng Line (formerly the Dali–Lijiang Road) experienced snow accumulation and ice, with extremely low visibility on the road surface, making it impossible for vehicles to pass. This left over 1,400 people stranded on the road for 20 hours. By the time of reporting, the stranded individuals had been rescued and properly resettled.
Eating meals after nearly 20 hours of being stranded
Mr. Liu from Chongqing told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily over the phone that around 4:00 PM on December 15, he and over 20 others were stranded 63 km along the Dali–Lijiang route. Many on the bus were elderly, in their 60s. With the road icy, their bus got stuck, and they couldn’t see the end of the line of vehicles ahead or behind them. They waited anxiously for rescue, but it wasn’t until 9:00 AM on December 16 that they saw a large number of rescuers clearing the snow. Around 11:00 AM that day, learning that the road behind them was clear, the vehicle turned around at the 65 km mark along the Dali–Lijiang route and headed back to Dali.
“When we were stranded, we couldn’t buy any food. Some people who had brought snacks shared them with others,” Mr. Liu said. Everyone helped each other, and after nearly 20 hours of being stranded, they finally got to eat proper meals.
Tourists hike to nearby villages to find food
“I’m going crazy, I’m frozen, everyone on the bus has caught a cold, I’m shaking all over. The snow has covered the whole mountain, and when walking, it goes up to my shins…” a netizen stranded on the mountain road posted on Weibo around 2:00 AM on December 16, saying that Dali traffic police had promised to deliver food and water, but it still hadn’t arrived.
The tour group this netizen joined departed from Shandong. Zhu, the local guide for the group, told a Beijing Youth Daily reporter that the weather was fine when they departed Dali on December 15, but it started snowing shortly after. Vehicles became congested, and some suggested returning to Dali, but many thought the jam wouldn’t last long. “We didn’t expect to be stuck for over 20 hours,” Zhu said. Having worked as a guide in Yunnan for years, she said that while the area occasionally sees light snow, such heavy snowfall is rare.
What was supposed to be a four-hour drive turned into a much longer ordeal. Many tourists hadn’t brought food. Some called the police in various ways. Authorities recorded their locations and license plate numbers and promised to send relief supplies, but nothing had arrived by the next morning. “We called to ask and were told rescuers were carrying supplies to distribute, but there were too many people waiting, and the supplies ran out before reaching us,” Zhu said. She heard that over 100 km of road was congested, with thousands needing rescue.
On the morning of December 16, the weather cleared, and some tourists got off the bus and hiked to nearby villages to look for food. “The government mobilized villagers to provide food, but things like instant noodles were all bought up,” they said. They walked to a natural village three km away with only five or six households and bought some food from villagers’ homes. “We just ate whatever was available.”
At around 1:40 PM on December 16, the congested convoy began moving again, stopped after a short while, then continued 40 minutes later. Around 2:40 PM, Zhu told a Beijing Youth Daily reporter that hope was near—they were only about 40 km away from Lijiang.
Travelers forced to change plans
Zhu said that after safely getting the tourists out, many follow-up issues remained due to the snow. They had originally planned to stay in Lijiang on the evening of December 15, but since they were stuck on the road, tourists felt they shouldn’t have to pay for hotel rooms they didn’t use. However, the tour group had already prepaid and incurred certain costs for the bookings, creating a dilemma that needed resolution. They had reported the issue to tourism authorities hoping for proper mediation.
“Other groups called to say Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has been closed,” Zhu said. Due to the snow, the mountain was briefly shut down, disrupting travelers’ original plans. If they changed their flights to extend the trip, some had purchased non-refundable discount tickets. Returning on schedule meant missing certain attractions. They had no choice but to change their plans. “I really understand the tourists’ feelings,” Zhu said. She heard many tourists argued with their guides over the situation.