Chengdu, the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan, experienced some unusually warm weather during the Lunar New Year holiday and as a result snow did not form in its snow village, much to the dismay of many tourists.

The Chengdu Snow Village project tried to replicate its typical winters with artificial snow on the grounds and on top of houses, posting photos on social media to try and lure in visitors.

Tourists said the online photos were misleading, with one user commenting “A snow village without snow!”

In a statement on the Chinese social media app WeChat, the village said it “deeply apologises” and offered all visitors a refund.

“In order to create a ‘snowy’ atmosphere the tourist village purchased cotton for the snow…but it did not achieve the expected effect, leaving a very bad impression on tourists who came to visit,” the Chengdu Snow Village project said in the statement.

The village has now been cleared of the synthetic snow.

The country’s weather bureau has said, China is facing hotter and longer heat waves and more frequent and unpredictable heavy rain because of climate change.