Tough start to Chinese New Year

TONY EASTLEY: Today is the first day of the Chinese Year of the Rat - an event normally a cause for celebration, but China's harshest winter snow storms in decades have left millions of workers unable to get home for the New Year festival.

Nevertheless people are making do. In the manufacturing cities of China's south, stranded workers have joined locals on the streets to ring in the New Year.

China correspondent Stephen McDonell reports from Guangzhou.

STEPHEN MCDONELL: It's been a bad start to the Year Of The Rat for many Chinese workers, but here in the industrial south of the country, people are still trying to celebrate, even if they are stuck a long way from home.

(Chinese person speaking)

"It's good to spend my Chinese new year in Guangzhou." One man says. "Look, I've bought lots of things. If I can't go home, if I have to stay here, that's fine. Actually, I'm lucky, I haven't been to this flower market before."

Others are not so positive about having missed spending the biggest night of the year with their family.

(Chinese person speaking)

"To stay in Guangzhou by myself, it's not good at all. I want to go home and be with my family."

Some of the locals have tried to cheer up these so-called migrant workers.

(Chinese person speaking)

"They can't go home and they're not happy, but, we'll try and use the warm atmosphere here to give them a good New Year."

"We are all Chinese" a woman says. "If they can't go home, they can feel at home with us."

There are literally millions of low-paid workers whose once-yearly holiday has been destroyed.

Though electricity and train services are being restored to freezing areas, China's infrastructure has not been able to cope with the worst snow and ice storms in decades.

It's been a miserable few weeks for many in China.

Now, at least the ice and snow storms have stopped hitting the south, and the New Year brought a time for partying.

Here in Guangzhou, tens of thousands of people come to the flower market on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Days ago this city was a tense place as stranded workers clashed with police. Tonight a wave of flowers has spread through the city centre, as people celebrate the New Year the Guangdong way.

And many people think that the Year of Rat is about to bring good things.

(Chinese women speaking)

"It is supposed to be a lucky, peaceful and prosperous good year" this woman says. Let's hope she's right.

This is Stephen McDonell in Guangzhou, for AM.