China is seeing its worst weather in the last 50 years, and it has caused enormous problems the last several days. Heavy snow has resulted in power outages all over central and southern China, and thousands of travelers have been left stranded. According to the Telegraph:

"In tropical Guangzhou, near Hong Kong, 200,000 people are sleeping in temporary shelters after trains were cancelled. Some of those stuck at stations, airports and on the roads have criticised the government for being too slow to respond."

Despite the criticism, the Chinese government has come up with a novel way to make use of its military, the largest in the world. They are sending a half-million troops, roughly 20% of their total soldiers, to clear roads and rail lines that are blocked by snow, as seen in the photo above.

Any chance one of them could come over and help scrape the ice off my windshield? It's freezing outside.

Filed under: China, Transportation, News