It's Raining Again

It been raining off and on for the last week. We had very heavy rain yesterday afternoon and more rain today.

[Here's a report from the China Daily about the flooding]

Torrential rains have covering southern China affecting at least 2 million people. Worst hit have been Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangxi (of which Nanning is the capital).

In Zhejiang, the rain affected more than 930,000 people with more than 70,000 hectares of crops flooded. Water levels in at least five reservoirs in the province had risen above warning levels by Wednesday. Preliminary estimates put the losses at 860 million yuan (US$124 million). Meteorological authorities in Zhejiang said the region would face more heavy rains in two days and warned local government officials of possible flood dangers.

In Guangxi, where one person was killed and around 920,000 people were affected with 40,000 hectares of crops under water. Damage to power lines and irrigation facilities was also reported. Heavy rains were expected to begin on Friday, posing pressure to flood control in Wuzhou, a city near Guangxi's border with Guangdong Province. The city was ravaged by the worst flooding in 100 years in 2005.

The water level at the Wuzhou section of the Xijiang River was only 1.4m below the warning level of 18.5m as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and was rising by 0.1m per hour, local officials said.

In the eastern Jiangxi Province, precipitation exceeded 300 mm in three counties and 200 mm in another 43 in just three days, and seven small reservoirs were at risk. The Raohe River, one the five major rivers in Jiangxi, saw the largest flood in a decade. Water levels at the Dufengkang and Hushan hydrometric stations on the river's tributaries were more than 3m above the warning levels. Some low-lying areas in Nanchang, the provincial capital, and Jingdezhen were flooded, with the maximum water depth reaching 5.4 m. More than 2,300 houses collapsed and 2.05 million people were affected, 47,000 of whom were evacuated.

The water level in the Anhui Province section of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, has continued to rise due to the heavy rain in the region, but authorities said the flood risk was low because the water level was one to two meters lower than the same period last year.

The National Meteorological Center is forecasting that the rain will sweep across provinces including Jiangsu, the quake-hit Sichuan, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the next few days.

The other day I was out and got caught in a downpour. While waiting I took some video of a busy intersection in the middle of Nanning.

And here's a slideshow of some of my photos taken when has been raining. Hope you enjoy it.

Rush Hour in Nanning - Time Lapse Video

Here's a two part time lapse video of Rush Hour in Nanning, China. The first part is about a one minute and the second part is 1:30 and features two passing trains as well. I am always amazed there aren't more accidents at these intersections. I've lived in China for six years and still haven't worked out the road rules. Mind you, I don't think most of the Chinese have either.

Nanning Intersection - Time Lapse Video

Here's a time lapse video of an intersection in Nanning. It is filmed at one frame per second which effectively speeds up the video by 15 times. It gives you an idea of what China's traffic is like and how difficult crossing the street can be especially during rush hour.

Olympic Torch in Nanning

China Girl

Today, 7 June, the Olympic Torch came to Nanning and Olympic fever was running hot. Thousands of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the torch. But many were disappointed including myself. Only those who came very early (maybe around 6-7am) got to the roadside. Later the roads were blocked off and many people were prevented from getting close enough to see the torch. However, it was still enjoyable walking the streets and seeing the Chinese celebrate the coming Olympic Games in Beijing. The Chinese are very proud of having the opportunity to host the games and I'm sure will do a great job.

Police and the army were out in full force to control the huge crowds and ensure the torch had a smooth journey as it traveled the streets of the city. There were over 200 torch bearers with each carrying the torch for around 50m. Many secondary and university students were banned from going to see the torch including overseas students studying at several universities in the city.

Following is a 1:30 video of people walking the streets of Nanning trying to find somewhere where they can see the torch and celebrating the Olympics.

Below is a slideshow of photo showing Olympic fever in Nanning.

China Mourns

Here's some video I took on 19 May at Minzu (Nationality) Square in Nanning, China. It shows students singing as they mourn those who died in the 12 May earthquake. Thousands of people gathered in the public square and lit candles. Emotions were high and many shouted "Go China Go!" and "Rebuild Sichuan" showing their feelings towards those affected. More videos to come when I get the time.



Following is a Youtube video showing the terrible loss and destruction caused by the earthquake. It was shot straight after the earthquake hit Beichuan city, one of the worst affected towns where more than 10,000 people died. Warning: some of the scenes in the video are very distrubing.