Many parts of China have been seized by a sustained cold snap and heavy snow. The deep freeze has brought chaos, including flight delays, highway closures, traffic jams and a halt in power and heat supplies.

In northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,heavy snow that began Wednesday continues. In some parts of the region, the snowfall reached as deep as 1 and a half meters. Thousands of soldiers have been assigned to the snow-affected places to clear the roads.

In Inner Mongolia's Ulanhot, some flights were cancelled and road traffic affected due to the heavy snow.

Photo taken on Jan. 5, 2010 shows the ice view at the seaside of Yantai, east China's Shandong province, Jan. 5, 2010. (Xinhua/Shen Jizhong)