Cotton controversy forces closure of China's "Snow Village"
"Snow Village" has been closed in southwestern China following numerous complaints from tourists who discovered cotton instead of snow. The owners attributed the situation to climate change.
The owners of "Snow Village" in Sichuan Province, China, had to close the attraction after facing a surge of criticism from tourists. Visitors expecting a winter wonderland found cotton masquerading as snow, according to a report by the "South China Morning Post."
Cotton instead of snow
The attraction, which opened in late January in the suburbs of Chengdu, quickly became controversial. Tourists arriving to enjoy the winter landscape realized the "snow" was actually cotton mixed with soapy water. They launched a flurry of complaints.
On February 7 the village management issued a statement apologizing for the situation, blaming it on global warming.
"I feel cheated. I think my intelligence has been insulted!" one tourist remarked on social media. The village owners acknowledged purchasing cotton to simulate a winter scene, but admitted the result was disappointing.
Issues with tourist attractions in China
Misleading tourists is not uncommon in China. Last year, a landscape park in Henan Province drew criticism for channeling water to a waterfall using a pipe.
There have also been instances where animals were painted to resemble more appealing species, such as dogs in a zoo being painted to look like pandas.
