Millions stranded by snow in China holiday havoc

By John Ruwitch

GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Millions of Chinese shivered through power cuts and water shortages on Wednesday and millions more were stranded by snow and ice ahead of what is for many their only family reunion of the year.

Migrant workers in the booming southern province of Guangdong, standing under a grey sky and bitterly cold rain, have been urged to abandon plans to go home for the Lunar New Year, when families travel vast distances to reunite.

A sea of people crammed around the main railway station in the provincial capital, Guangzhou, huddling under umbrellas and waiting for a chance to get home. Trains have been paralysed by crippled power upline that has snarled the regional network.

For tens of millions of migrant workers, leaving their families to work in China's fast-developing cities, the holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, is the only chance to see loved ones all year.

"I couldn't buy a ticket before, but I hope with all the people returning their tickets, someone will sell me one now," said Ding Ming, eager to return to his hometown in Chongqing, 30 hours away by train, to see his wife and 10-year-old child.

"If I don't get one, or can't go back, then it's not ideal. That's just the way it is."

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told passengers stuck at Changsha station in southern China on Tuesday that he was sorry. On Wednesday, he visited Guangzhou to offer similar comfort.

"You have suffered a lot from the inconvenience," Wen told the crowd with a bullhorn as families stood around, some playing cards, some trying to entertain their children.