The stranded passengers eat noodles with soybean paste for lunch at Wang Yang's home on Feb 18. [Photo/People's Daily]

Wang Yang and his family, residents in Guazhou county of Jiuquan, Gansu province, offered free accommodation to eleven passengers, who were stranded on the highway due to the foul weather, in their own home at the end of the Spring Festival holiday, People's Daily reported.

On the evening of Feb 17, heavy snow and rain struck Guazhou, a traffic hub near Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, resulting in the temporary closure of the highway, and many passengers were left stranded in the area. Coincidently, it aligned with the peak time of returning to work after the holiday, and the local hotels could not accommodate so many people.

Wang Yang observed the situation on the social platform. Considering that his family occupied five people in four rooms, possible to free up a bedroom, he wanted to help those in need. After obtaining permission from his family, he posted a message on his WeChat Moments, offering a free room and accommodation for people in need.

Initially planning to accept only a family with three people, they ended up hosting eleven passengers. The group consisted of three people from Xu Weiming's family from Shiyan, Hubei province, four people from Pei Jing's family from Xinjiang, and another four people from Huo Ningning's family.

They received the Xu family at first, who were bound for Ili, Xinjiang. Unable to continue the journey, they finished supper in Guazhou and then discovered that there was no room remaining in local hotels. At that moment, a restaurant owner recommended Wang and provided his phone number to the family.

Wang merrily welcomed them over the phone and went to pick them up at the restaurant five minutes later. Upon arriving at his home, Wang arranged Xu's family in the big bedroom, provided hot tea to warm up their bodies, and offered them new bed linens, slippers, and toiletries.

Moved by Wang and his family, Xu posted a message on his WeChat Moments at 9:25 pm on Feb 17, saying "Love knows no bounds, and thanks to the kind people who help us", to express his gratitude.

A screenshot of Xu Weiming's WeChat Moments post at 9:25 pm on Feb 17, saying "Love knows no bounds, and thanks to the kind people who helped us". [Screenshot from Xu Weiming's WeChat Moments]

After settling the Xu family, Wang and his family accepted Pei's family, which consists of three adults and a child.

"With temperatures around minus 15 C outside, too cold for Pei's family to endure, our family decided that my mother and my wife, along with two children would rest in the main bedroom, while I would sleep alone in the study to free up a bedroom for them," Wang said.

Wang and his family then welcomed Huo's family despite already accommodating seven people. Huo obtained Wang's number from a hotel receptionist and called him. Learning that Huo's family, including a 7-month-old baby, had no place to stay, Wang promptly brought them to his house, settled them in the study and slept on the couch in the living room instead.

The next morning, Wang's mother cooked some porridge, and served festival treats prepared during the Spring Festival to the eleven people for breakfast. For lunch, Wang's family made noodles with soybean paste.

Wang Yang's mother (right) boils noodles for the eleven stranded passengers. [Photo/People's Daily]

"That was the most delicious noodles with soybean paste I have ever had," Xu said.

"With the help of kind people from Gansu, we enjoyed a warm night despite being stranded out of the hometown, which is the most meaningful experience for me this Spring Festival," Xu added.

At 3 pm on Feb 18, the highway reopened and all the families left, continuing on their way home. Wang wished them a safe journey and said: "It is not easy being outside, and as long as I can help, I will do it. It is like having eleven relatives coming to visit during the Spring Festival."

As reported, Guazhou county accommodated more than 25,000 stranded passengers affected by the rain and snow. They were allocated to 93 temporary shelters and resident's homes, and the majority of them had left by the morning of Feb 19.