The cold weather affecting many areas of China brought the first snowfall to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, in 67 years on Sunday, the city's meteorological bureau said.

People rushed out onto the streets to enjoy the snow.

At noon, most districts of the city had recorded light snowfall for about half an hour, the bureau said.

Atop the city's Baiyunshan Mountain and Canton Tower, people gathered excitedly to take photographs of the wintry scene.

Guangzhou residents posted pictures and videos recording the rare weather conditions on social media.

Peng Caixia, a 62-year-old woman who lives in the city, said: "It's really cold outside, but we are so happy to see the snow in the city. I had never seen snow before. It feels as if I should be in Northeast China."

Peng took her 7-year-old granddaughter to a garden near their apartment, where hundreds of people were playing outside as the snow fell.