After a quiet night of snow last Tuesday, most Beijingers got up earlier and hurried to work in the morning chill.

But despite the accumulated snow on the trees, lawns and parked cars by the roadside, commuters on the major expressways and avenues found only a few traces of snow.

To make their morning easier, workers at Beijing Sanitary Corp had spent a sleepless night.

When Wang Zhicheng, 26, started his shift and arrived at the road between the Liuli and Anhua overpasses on the Third Ring Road, the expressway was clean and snow was piled up by the roadside.

His red-orange truck was one of eight Beijing Sanitary Corps bought in the winter of 2001, when a sudden light snowfall brought the entire capital to a standstill for hours, late into the night.

Today, the vehicles Wang and his colleagues drive to work are the main means of clearing snow. The containers at the back of their trucks are filled with three tons of salt-like snow-dissolving particulate agent, which melts the snow.

"What I am doing now is mainly cleaning the road, while during last night's snowfall my colleagues will have cleared the lanes and ensured unobstructed traffic," Wang said.

Wang drives his truck slowly on the right side of the ring road. Every time he sees a pile of snow, he pushes a yellow button on his right, releasing a spray of snow-dissolving agent.

There are more than 200 staff at the Machinery Cleaning Sub-Company under Beijing Sanitary Corp where Wang works. They operate a range of vehicles used to clear snow. From time to time, Wang meets his colleagues driving dust-collecting vehicles, which suck the water melted from the snow.

"If we don't clean away the water, it will ice up at night by the roadside," he said. "Different types of vehicles often work in co-ordination after snowfalls to ensure that commuters drive on a clean road surface."

Driving a snow-clearing truck during the day requires the driver's full attention. Wang said he and his co-workers must watch out for the bustling cars, the position of accumulated snow, and even pedestrians.

"We also have to race against time to melt and clear the snow as quickly as possible," Wang said. "I feel tired, not physically, but mentally."

The vehicles must be driven at low speed, which wears at Wang's youthful temperament.

The job is frequently interrupted by the voice of headquarters through the speaker, inquiring about the latest snow conditions on the roads and giving new orders.

By 1:35 pm, Wang finally finishes his assigned road section and returns to his company to reload on snow-dissolving agent for a second time.

"Thanks to the relatively light snow of last night, I can rest for a short period," he said.

However, he has already missed lunch. After refueling and cleaning his car, he waits for a new assignment.

Snow? Let's go

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory has predicted Beijing will experience a colder winter with far more snow this year, Lu Zhiping, chief commander of sanitary work at Beijing Sanitary Corp, said.

"We will have a much heavier workload this year," he said.

He said this year's snowfalls differ in two ways. One is the snow has come much earlier than most years. Beijing's first snow fell on November 6. "We have not seen such an early snowfall for many years," said Lu.

The other difference is the snow is quite sticky and the first snow crushed many trees.

As winter approaches, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory provides the company with next week's weather forecasts every Friday.

By November 1, Lu and his colleagues had already started preparations for winter snow clean-ups.

Eight multifunctional snow-clearing trucks and another 100 water vehicles were thoroughly serviced and repaired, ready for use.

The Municipal Administration Committee requires the company to keep major roads clear, ensure traffic lanes are open, and clean up the remnant slush within certain periods of time, determined by snow conditions.

Like Wang Zhicheng, Wu Miao was among the first to be trained on the multifunctional snow-clearing vehicles last January.

"There were about six snowfalls within a single month last winter, when we and the trucks we drove were responsible for basically all the snow clearing work on the major roads," Wu recalled.

Though still a young man, Wu considers himself an "old" hand, after working on the roads for five years.

Wu and his colleagues were relieved when the first big snow this winter fell early in the season.

"The relatively high temperatures at that time of year helped melt most of the snow," Wu said. "If that heavy snow fell in December, I am afraid we wouldn't have been able to clear the snow off the streets in a week."

The snow conditions determine the amount of effort required and how his working life will be affected.

Most of the staff clearly remember the hardship they encountered last winter.

Wang Zhicheng recalls, "One day the snow was really heavy. As soon as I sprayed the snow-dissolving agent on the surface snow, another layer of snow quickly covered it. It was really frustrating." The falling snow also limited his vision to 20 meters. "I am not afraid of getting tired and dirty, but I do worry about my safety," he added.

Traffic jams, which occur more often during the day, can also dramatically slow down the clearing of snow.

Wu said he felt comfortable at work during the first snowfall this year. "It started at midnight and there were far fewer cars on the road at that time," he said. What he and his workmates fear most is snowfalls during morning or evening rush hours.

Different tactics

After clearing snow for years, the staff of Beijing Sanitary Corp have developed their own work regimes for different snow conditions.

When snow starts to fall, they spray only a small amount of snow-dissolving agent on the road.

As the snow falls more heavily and starts to layer the road surface, they increase the amount accordingly.

When a thick layer of snow has accumulated, they will start the cylinder brush at the front of their vehicles to push it onto the roadside and clear traffic lanes.

For even heavier snow, they will set up a snow-pushing plate. "We have enough weapons in our trucks to fight our way through the snow," said Wu.

When no snow is forecast, the workers do everyday cleaning work such as collecting dust and spraying water on the road surface in shifts. The day shift lasts from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, and the night shift from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am.

"In terms of workload, I prefer the daily dust-clearing work, because I can go straight home when it is time for me to knock off," said Wang. "But during winter , we are always busy."

If snow is forecast, whether or not it arrives, the workers still have to prepare after finishing their daily sanitary tasks. They must also be ready to start clearing snow at any time if ordered to do so by their headquarters.

Sometimes during heavy snow, they will find themselves short of hands and two shifts of workers will be assigned to work together.

"The snow conditions will determine when we rest," said Wu, who once worked for more than 30 hours straight to clear snow last winter.

In his team, every member observes a golden rule: Snow gives the orders.

Whenever snow falls, every worker, whether on holidays or not, comes to the dispatch room voluntarily to take up their assignments.

"Everyone has a fixed road section to clear. During snow, we know what we need to do - pick up the key and get in the trucks," said Wu.

In the 20 square meters of the dispatch room, there is a huge chart on the wall, on which the shifts of every worker are displayed.

"Every snowfall is a test for our workers," said Guo Yanqi, head of the day's cleaning team

(China Daily December 1, 2003)