The rumours have been flying; after our scorching summer, this winter in Nanjing will also be setting records, at the other end of the mercury. Whether or not that comes to be, Nanjing is planning on being ready, just in case.
With temperatures this afternoon in Nanjing breaking 20 degrees, it may be hard to believe that we are now into the fortnight known as “Minor Snow” (小雪) that is the 20th of the 24 Chinese Solar Terms (节气).
今天下午南京气温突破20度，可能很难相信我们现在已经进入了被称为“小雪”的两周，即二十四节气中的第二十个。
But local authorities seem to have their eye on that transition, deciding now is the time to prepare for the worst.
但地方当局似乎正在关注这一转变，决定现在是做最坏打算的时候了。
As such, the time was right yesterday, 23 November, for Nanjing Urban Management Bureau and Qinhuai District Urban Management Bureau to hold a “snow sweeping and antifreeze” exercise to show off their new toys to reporters.
于是，昨天11月23日，南京城管局和秦淮区城管局举行“扫雪防冻”演习，向记者展示他们的新玩具。
And some of the machines that they today have at there disposal are downright fancy. Gone are the days of the good old snowplow and salt spreader; Nanjing has gone high tech in its antifreeze efforts.
他们现在拥有的一些机器非常奇特。老式扫雪机和撒盐机的时代已经一去不复返了。南京的防冻措施走上了高科技之路。
Nanjing’s weapons in the war on winter this year include those being called comprehensive snow removal vehicles, light snow removal vehicles, manually-propelled snow sweepers and salt spreaders, as well as traditional snowplows and much more.
南京今年冬季战争的武器包括综合除雪车、轻型除雪车、手动扫雪车、撒盐车以及传统扫雪车等。
All in, Nanjing now has nearly 700 snow and antifreeze teams in place, comprising over 30,000 people. In addition, more than 150,000 shovels and brooms stand by, together with over 600,000 anti-slip mats, to ensure the safe travel of citizens.
截至目前，南京已到位防雪防冻队伍近700支、3万余人。此外，还有超过15万把铁锨、扫把、超过60万个防滑垫随时待命，保障市民出行安全。
Qinhuai District alone has a salt reserve of 300 tons, reports the Yangtze Evening News. That particular district of Nanjing also has in place a snow-clearing policy based on priority; overpasses first, followed by primary roads, secondary roads, steep roads and so on.
据长江晚报报道，仅秦淮区就有300吨的盐储量。南京各区也出台了优先除雪政策；首先是立交桥，其次是主路、次路、陡路等。
On 14 November, Nanjing Snow and Antifreeze Command held the city’s 2022-2023 Snow & Antifreeze Conference, focusing on the characteristics of climate change this winter and next spring. The Conference delivered reminders to attending delegates to ensure the life and property of citizens and their safe travel, and to achieve the public expectation of “no overnight snow” in Nanjing.
11月14日，南京市防雪防冻指挥部召开全市2022-2023年防雪防冻工作会议，重点研究今冬明春气候变化特点。会议提醒与会代表，确保市民生命财产安全和出行安全，实现南京“无夜雪”的公众期盼。
While that might be a little overly optimistic, all this preparation is nevertheless most commendable. But it all begs the question, do they know something we don’t?
虽然这可能有点过于乐观，但所有这些准备工作仍然是最值得称赞的。但这一切都引出了一个问题，他们是否知道我们不知道的事情？
