Published: February 21st, 2025,
Last updated: February 21st, 2025

What was advertised idyllically as a winter wonderland in a tourist resort in Chengdu in southern China has led to a scandal. Visitors discovered that the snow beneath their feet was fake. The operators had used large cotton carpets to create an artificial snowy landscape and attract visitors. The organizer sure would have preferred to have been wrapped in said cotton: criticism on social media was devastating, and not even an official apology helped.