The centre advised authorities to handle icy roads and frozen crops and to manage heating systems.
Road and other accidents were reported in northern China, where the cold snap first hit from Wednesday, and schools in several areas, including Beijing and Henan, remained closed on Friday.
On Friday, a power line failure in the central province of Shanxi led to a county-wide blackout.
Authorities in Liaocheng city in the eastern Shandong province have prepared nearly 300,000 tents, cotton clothes and quilts as relief supplies for those affected by the low temperatures.
The Beijing Daily said temperatures in the city could drop below minus 14 degrees Celsius, with highs around minus 5 degrees Celsius from Saturday to Thursday.
Some trains in and out of Beijing were suspended on Saturday.
Beijing authorities said on Friday that an initial investigation into the incident found that the train had come to an emergency stop after “a signal was downgraded”, but the sloping terrain caused the carriages to slip on the icy rails and collide. The city’s Changping line, where the accident occurred, resumed service on Saturday.
State broadcaster CCTV said that as of 6am on Saturday, 308 sections of road across the country had been closed because of snow and icy roads, with 201 highways fully closed.
Authorities in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province bordering Beijing, announced that buses and subways would be free for half a month from Saturday.
Areas south of the Yangtze River, which have seen less snowfall in recent years, were also affected by the cold snap. Some cities, including Wuhan and Nanjing, saw their first snow of the winter.
Online news outlet The Paper reported on Saturday that 387 electrical repair companies in Shanghai were on standby to help residents whose air conditioner heating mode had failed.
Police in the eastern metropolis launched an operation to rescue homeless people.
China on alert for extreme winter weather as El Nino adds to global warming mix
China on alert for extreme winter weather as El Nino adds to global warming mix
The eastern coastal province of Zhejiang issued an emergency notice on Friday, advising residents to spend less time outdoors over the weekend. The province’s 128 shipping routes have been suspended due to the cold wave.
In the southern province of Guangdong, 29 passenger ferry routes were also suspended.
Qinghai, a northwestern province near Tibet, also launched a cold wave emergency plan.
According to the meteorological centre, the snow in northern China was forecast to ease from Friday, but rain, snow and lower temperatures are expected across central, eastern and southern China.
Residents are advised to dress warmly and reduce outdoor activities, it said.
“I am waiting for the cold snap in a T-shirt and shorts,” a social media user said of the sudden temperature drop in the southern province of Guangdong.
“I’m in the northeast and it’s warmer in the fridge than outside, ” another joked.
Another Weibo user said, “No matter what warnings you are giving, I just want to go out and see the snow!”
