This is not Guangzhou Train Station. This is Huanshi Xi Lu, quite far in front of the station. News from the southern barbarians is scarce because most press offices are in Beijing, and the south is covered from Hong Kong. Which isn’t China.

The plaza in front of the train station is about the size of the entire Federation Square in Melbourne, buildings and all, and the main road in front is several lanes wide. Close to 200,000 people have been trapped there for days.

The train line from Guangzhou to Beijing, the main south-north link and main line into central China has been snowed under, roads are blocked, power has been cut across many cities in Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou, and almost 6 million people, on their way home for Spring Festival, and many of them migrant workers have been stranded in train and bus stations in the worst snowstorm in 50 years.

John Kennedy, of 在桥下流 and Global Voices Online and resident Guangzhou dweller has been translating the Chinese news coverage.