The capital of China, Beijing, was enduring in last winter its longest drought in 38 years, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau's records. The city had not seen rain since October 24 2008.  On February 17, 2009. the Chinese capital embraced the snow in 2009 early  morning. A snow-covered car was conspicuously seen on the  road outside my living quarters. That signifies the old saying "A timely snow promises a good harvest."

Snow flakes quietly fell in Beijing's downtown areas while people were still in sleep early that morning, driving the temperature below zero. This was the second precipitation since last winter following a drizzle initiated by artificial rain , but the rain was not enough to end the lingering drought. The snow continued till Tuesday night and the daytime of Wednesday. The highest temperature on Tuesday was around one degree Celsius. The Meteorologist Bureau said the northern part of the city would have the largest amount of snow, but did not forecast the snow's effect on easing the drought. Anyway everybody was very happy to see the rare snow, including me. So I went outside to take some pictures of my living quarters, and I felt the snow-covered car was specially conspicuous scene. As well I quote a paragraph of poem about snow written by Mao Zedong.
 
 
To the tune of Chin Yuan Chun

                                    written in February 1936

North country scene:

A hundred leagues locked in ice,

A thousand leagues of whirling snow.

Both sides of the Great Wall

One single white immensity.

The Yellow River's swift current

Is stilled from end to end.

The mountains dance like silver snake,

And the highlands charge like wax-hued elephants,

Vying with heaven in stature.

On a fine day, the land,

Clad in white, adorned in red,

Grows more enchanting.