Snow dampens spirits of China's stranded workers

By John Ruwitch

GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - They're starting to call it the "return to the factory tide".

Half a million or more people like Ann Yang and her six relatives from Hunan province have so far returned train tickets that would have taken them home for the Lunar New Year holiday from the southern province of Guangdong amid China's worst snowstorms in decades.

The bad weather has knocked out power, forced road closures, delayed flights and crippled train lines up and down the country at the worst time possible, days before the biggest holiday of the year.

Thousands of would-be travellers, many migrant labourers, have been forced to make the painful decision to abandon plans to make what for most is a once-a-year trip home to be with family and instead retreat to their factory dorms.

"We had heard the news about the troubles, but went to the train station anyway, and it was just a sea of people. It was scary," said Yang, 26. "And it was really cold, too. We decided to return the tickets."

For days, tens of thousands of people have massed in front of the Guangzhou train station, the province's main hub, awaiting news and hoping to get home.

The authorities have moved many to locations around town being used as temporary shelters, including an exhibition centre where China's biggest trade fair takes place twice a year.

The government has also been trying to convince people to return their tickets and stay in Guangdong.