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China has begun celebrating the week-long Lunar New Year festival, which has been overshadowed by the worst snowstorms in decades.

Millions of migrant workers will be unable to visit their families because of gridlocked transport.

But the authorities say trains and roads are returning to normal and power supplies are being restored.

The China Meteorological Administration has lifted a severe weather emergency alert issued on 25 January.

Power lines

More than 3,000 electricians and troops have been out repairing power lines in Chenzhou city in central Hunan province, where four million residents were without electricity for nearly two weeks.

Power has now been restored to 162 of the 170 worst hit counties, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The agency said the air force transported 100 tonnes of candles to several cities in the south where people were still suffering from electricity cuts.

Officials have been working to bring in coal deliveries.

With the transport gridlock now easing, many stranded migrant workers are on their way home, according to state media.

However, millions more have given up on the idea of travelling.

In southern Guangdong province alone, more than 22 million workers have been forced to stay in cities for the holiday.

Strong tradition

More than 100,000 migrant employees in Shanghai obeyed calls to stay where they were.

BBC China editor Shirong Chen says the Chinese New Year is a tradition older and perhaps even stronger than Thanksgiving in the US.

It is the only chance for many migrant workers to visit family, including elderly parents and young children left behind for the whole year, he says.

The weather is believed to have affected more than 100 million people and has so far caused 80bn yuan ($11bn) of damage.

More than 80 people are thought to have been killed, several hundred thousand homes were destroyed and vast swathes of crops damaged.

President Hu Jintao has sought to boost morale.

"No disaster could vanquish the great Chinese people, " he said.

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