They said it was a snow-covered land, but it was a cotton-covered land... "Now even snow is fake?"

Cotton Used to Create Snowy Scenery Due to Lack of Snow
Tourism Authorities Apologize and Suspend Operations

A village in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, famous for its snowy scenery, decorated with cotton to resemble snow but faced criticism from tourists and subsequently closed the tourist site. Nanbaoshan Tourist Area, Baidu

A village in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, famous for its snowy scenery, faced an absurd situation where cotton was disguised as snow due to warm weather preventing snowfall. Tourists visiting the village poured out criticism, and eventually, the tourism authorities decided to temporarily close the village.

According to local media such as Jimu News on the 13th, the 'Snow Village' within the Nambaoshan Tourist Area in Chengdu heavily promoted its snowy scenery ahead of the Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year), the largest festival in China. Especially, photos of snow piled up on the roofs of huts and yards attracted attention.

However, contrary to expectations, the weather was warm during this Lunar New Year period, and no snow fell. As a result, the village decided to create a snowy scene using cotton and soapy water. Cotton was placed throughout the village to mimic snow, and soapy water was used to create the atmosphere of falling snow before opening on the 29th of last month.

A scene depicting snow made of cotton at Nanbaosan Tourist Area in Chengdu, China. Baidu

Tourists who visited the village expecting snow were outraged upon seeing cotton instead. They expressed complaints such as, "We were completely deceived," "I didn’t pay this money to see cotton," "It’s absurd and outrageous," "The ticket price was real, but the snow was fake," "We came to see snow but were shown cotton," and "The name 'Snow Village' doesn’t fit; the snow was cotton and the flowers were plastic."

As criticism spread, the Nambaoshan tourism authorities posted an apology on WeChat on the 8th and decided to temporarily suspend village operations from the following day. The Nambaoshan Tourist Area stated, "The Snow Village project in the Nambaoshan Tourist Area was created based on weather forecasts predicting a drop in temperature and snowfall during the Lunar New Year period. However, this year’s Lunar New Year was warm, so we could not present the snow village." They added, "We have started removing all the cotton during the Lunar New Year holiday to restore the area to its original state," and "If refunds for tickets are needed, visitors can get them at the visitor center or the purchase channels."

Domestic netizens who heard the news also reacted with disbelief. Online comments included, "Now even the snow is fake," "A country with nothing real," "Not surprised at all because it’s China," "At least make it look plausible. What is that?" "It’s so absurd I’m speechless," and "As expected, China."