Heavy fog blanketed many parts of northern China on Thursday, forcing the closure of highways and disrupting flights on the first workday after the New Year holiday.

 

All flights at Taoxian International Airport of Shenyang, capital of northeastern Liaoning Province, were cancelled on Thursday morning and nearly a thousand passengers were stranded, according to the local civil aviation authorities.

 

Eight highways in Shenyang, including the highway to the airport, were closed, according to local traffic authorities.

 

The disruption was picturesque as trees and flowers covered with a veil of freezing fog turned the city into a crystal fairyland.

 

Snow on Friday will disperse the fog, according to the airport observatory.

 

All 10 highways in the northern port city of Tianjin were closed on Thursday morning, with a visibility of 100 meters.

 

People were advised to reduce outdoor activities as much as possible and polluters asked to reduce emissions, according to medical experts.

 

Fog has shrouded northern China since Monday, reducing visibility in some areas to just 50 meters and causing traffic snarl-ups during the three-day New Year holiday, according to local meteorological stations.

 

Some 85 flights at Shijiazhuang Airport in Hebei Province were cancelled over the past three days and over 5,000 passengers had to change routes.

 

A southbound cold front will arrive on Friday and dissipate the fog, bringing temperatures down by four to eight degrees Celsius, according to the Central Meteorological Station.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2007)