A tourist village in Sichuan province, China, has apologised after receiving criticism for making fake snow with cotton wool and soapy water.

The Chengdu Snow Village project said that unexpected warm weather prevented the snow village from booming as planned over the Lunar New Year vacation in late January.

Right after its opening, the new tourist destination in Chengdu's suburbs received criticism instead of attention when visitors realised that the snow on cottages and forest walks was cotton.

A tourist expressed his disappointment on Chinese social media WeChat, stating, "I feel cheated. I think my intelligence has been insulted!”

Photo revelation  

Photos on WeChat showed huge piles and blankets of cotton wool scattered around, partially covering the green areas. On closer investigation, what appeared to be a substantial layer of snow on the houses was revealed to be fake.

A worker at the Snow Village's management office confirmed the use of cotton snow and stated that it was cleaned up following public outrage.

According to the Shanghai Morning Post, a worker stated that the location typically receives snowfall every winter, which prompted the site's development and advertising. Unfortunately, the weather was not in favour this time. 

In a statement issued on February 8, the Chengdu Snow Village realised that the cotton snow did not achieve the desired effect, instead left a negative impression on travellers.

The village sincerely apologised for the incident and even offered refunds to the tourists. According to Reuters, the tourist site has since been closed.

Interestingly, last year, a well-known waterfall in Henan province was accused of using pipes to increase water flow during the dry season. Sky knows no limit and so does China when it comes to attracting visitors. For instance, China zoos recently received criticism for painting dogs as tigers and donkeys as zebras to attract tourists.

You might also be interested in - This is how AI pets are helping China’s youth combat social anxiety