It was marvelous that we entered the new year in white. For a couple of years, snow has been absent from this eastern city of China. Although snow fell once or twice in the past, it always lasted an hour at the most, sometimes even for a period as short as 10 minutes. So such a snow as we had at the end of last year is really very rare and precious in Shanghai. It was broadcast that in some parts of the city, for example, northern Chongming Island, the snow cover was the deepest ever recorded.

Media reporters are expected to be active during such thrilling periods. But this time we were excited to find the participation of many ordinary citizens as well. For almost the whole week, my friends and I have been lingering over the memory of this experience.

Memory 1: How do you get onto the cover of a leading newspaper? Here is the short path: Make use of the snow. This was proved true by some quick minds. On the day of the deepest snowfall, some of my university pals found a large empty playing ground which had been decorated with the white blanket of nature. They wrote four Chinese characters on it, saying "Happy New Year" and took a picture of themselves alongside their masterpiece. The next morning - New Year's Day - their pictures with big smiles appeared on the front page of one of the city's major morning newspapers. How wonderful! It is enough to make a once-in-a-lifetime memory. These people really took advantage of the natural gift.

However, not everybody seemed to have much experience in dealing with such a situation.

Memory 2: How do you avoid becoming a major character in a negative news story? Here is the short tip: Be aware of the snow. Shanghai's traffic does not flow too well at the best of times and it can completely grind to a halt after heavy snowfall. It turned out that a series of car accidents happened on the icy roads and the traffic slowed down to a crawl in the downtown area. The residential streets had not been cleared of ice, so it was necessary to be extremely careful in order to avoid falling in a ridiculous way, thus providing a tidbit for some passing photographer. I was lucky enough to arrive home shortly before the snow started to fall. But for many people who were travelling home with lots of packages, it was another story altogether. Complaints about unobtainable taxies reached a record peak, with only one in three calls leading to a successful booking.

The city seemed to be unprepared for the troubles accompanying the snowfall, especially those affecting the power and transportation systems.

Of course, we are able to contrive excuses, saying: "Who would expect so much snow in Shanghai?" But it is an undeniable fact that if arrangements are left until after some unpleasant phenomenon occurs, it is too late. Nature doesn't only bring about unexpected gifts - there are unforeseen disasters as well.

Memory 3: Even if you don't know all the tricks and tips above, you can make yourself a permanent part of this rare snow event. Sometimes people's memories can be as vivid and lasting as anything that appears in a newspaper. During that snow period I saw some girls and boys bearing volunteers' badges, helping to guide pedestrians and vehicles in some of the busiest streets, despite the snow and wind. Although it was not especially eye-catching, the quiet scene was especially warming and encouraging amid the cold winter weather.

As we bid farewell to last year with a big snowfall, we welcome the new year at the same time with these warm and never-fading memories.