Beijing is experiencing the first snow of this winter, which slipped into the dry and grey city in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The snow started at 2:40 AM, blanketing the Chinese capital and slowing down the traffic in the morning rush hour.

Traffic congestion on slippery roads have caused a lot of trouble for the working population, most of whom are advised to work through this weekend before taking the first three days of the new year off.

Beijing's high temperature was minus one degree Celsius on Saturday, down by at least six degrees from last week.

The municipal administration commission sent 330 cleaners and 132 vehicles to sweep snow and spray snow-dissolving agents along major urban roads at dawn.

The commission said some 258 tons of snow-dissolving agents and294 tons of solutions have been sprayed in the city center.

The weatherman said the snow will stop around noon.

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2006)