Searching for Spring

Visitors make their way through 西湖 (West Lake) park in 杭州 (Hángzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China. Photo: 新华社 (Xīnhuá News Agency)/Shutterstock.

Blossom Time

Plum blossoms flower at a wetland park in 杭州 (Hángzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

车票 (Ticket to Ride)

杭州 (Hángzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China: Passengers gather in 杭州东站 (Hángzhōu East railway station). Millions of Chinese people travel to their home towns to celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, with their families. Photo: Reuters.

Snow in the City

杭州 (Hángzhōu), China: Visitors to a hot spring make snowmen on the side of the pool after China’s central and eastern regions are hit by heavy snowfall. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

Basically hot ice

杭州 (Hángzhōu), China: Participants in a chilli-eating competition sit or stand in tubs of cold water. Photo: China Stringer Network/Reuters.

History doesn’t repeat itself

杭州 (Hángzhōu) already boasts a copycat Eiffel Tower, while other Chinese cities feature facsimile reproductions of Manhattan and Tower Bridge. But the firm behind the 浙江 (Zhèjiāng) Gate Towers says any resemblance to New York’s World Trade Center is unintentional. Illustration: Lava.

The Wedding of the Lamb

杭州 (Hángzhōu), China: Couples attend a mass wedding ceremony. Photo: China Stringer Network/Reuters.

Chilly Monkeys

杭州 (Hángzhōu), China: Not feeling as brave as the pandas, fellow zoo residents the monkeys take shelter under a rock. Photo: 许康平 (Xǔ Kāngpíng)/EPA.

Why is the snow white?

杭州 (Hángzhōu), China: Giant pandas play in the snow in their enclosure at the city’s zoo. A powerful cold front is sweeping through China, bringing snow to the South. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.