When Beijing hosted the Olympics, they wanted everything to be perfect, including the weather. No one can control the weather you say? Well, not exactly true. China promised the opening ceremony on August 8 would be rain-free, and they worked very hard to deliver on the promise.
The Beijing Weather Modification Office launched 1,104 rain dispersal rockets from 21 sites in the city in order to ensure no rain would disrupt the opening ceremonies. In general, Beijing doesn’t receive much rainfall. Its levels are actually 35% below the world average.
Hence, during normal times, the city relies heavily on cloud seeding. Cloud seeding helps the rain process along. It has increased city water basin levels by 13%. It is also used to cool the city down on hot days.