By Chris Buckley
Scores have died in snow-related accidents in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday, normally one of the greatest annual migrations of humanity, with the traditional travel chaos compounded by the coldest winter in 100 years across vast swathes of south, central and eastern China.
Chenzhou, a city in the central province of Hunan and the worst hit, began its 12th day without power on Wednesday.
More than 5,000 electricians, including 2,000 summoned from other provinces, were struggling to repair damaged power lines and pylons.
"Chenzhou residents have to collect coal and charcoal to warm themselves, which caused the prices to surge tenfold."
Many mostly poor, migrant workers had already given up trying to get a ticket and opted to stay put.
The remote township of Wengxiang in the snowy mountains of Guizhou hasn't had electricity since January 14, many residents said. They also have to negotiate steep, icy paths to fetch water in buckets because pipes are frozen or cracked.
"I guess we'll have to have the new year celebrations in darkness." he said. "We can't afford candles."
"We haven't received any help for the floods last year," he said, referring to summer rains which brought down houses and collapsed terraced fields. "The government always promises a lot, but down here it seems that nothing ever arrives."
(Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
