The pride of a city, leaving or returning

As seen from the latest images on social media, Beijing shutterbugs can be very quick to snap the capital's iconic structures covered by the recent snowfall or the quaintly decorated snowmen put up by enthusiastic residents on street corners.

But the city should also be similarly up to speed when it comes to responding to extreme weather.

At about midnight on Sunday, I drove toward the Beijing South Railway Station, a high-speed rail hub, to pick up a friend. His train was delayed six hours because of the snowstorms in North China.