A young boy feeds pigeons at a public square in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, yesterday. The weather in the city has turned warm, with temperatures nearing 10 degree Celsius, compared to sub-zero temperatures recently.
Beijing also saw unseasonably warm weather at last weekend with the temperature hitting a maximum of 14 Celsius degrees, the highest January weather for 40 years, said experts, and many parts of north China also had relatively warm weather last week.
Experts said temperature fluctuations were normal in winter and forecast several more drops. The Beijing Meteorological Observatory said the air in the city will remain dry, which increases the chance of getting problems of the upper respiratory tract, including the flu.
(china.org.cn January 10, 2002)