The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region opened its barracks to the public on Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
Numerous visitors attended the open-day event, which began with a national flag-raising ceremony performed by the PLA garrison's honor guard.
"I can tell from their performance at the flag-raising ceremony that their regular drills must be very tough. And I am very grateful to them for diligently defending our country," said a Hong Kong resident who gave his name as Mr. Zhao.
The residents toured the barracks in Ngong Shuen Chau, Shek Kong, and San Wai to learn about the soldiers' work and life.
They also witnessed demonstrations of soldiers' training exercises and gained insights into their equipment, including naval ships and helicopters.
"The helicopter flight performance was great, and their control is excellent," said Liang, a student.
"I am very happy to see this for the first time. And we got exquisite souvenirs, including badges and bookmarks; my child treasures them a lot", said a father who gave his name as Mr. Thang.
The visitors were also able to attend a thematic cultural performance named 'Me and My Motherland' at the Ang Chaun Camp auditorium, crafted with care by stationed officers and soldiers.
They also visited a sizable exhibition at the Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center.
"I bring the students here so they can understand the latest development of the country. The soldiers voluntarily came to us to offer help when they saw our large crowd of students. That sets a good example for the children," a teacher surnamed Zhang from the Hong Kong Fujian Secondary School said.
PLA garrison in Hong Kong opens barracks to mark 27th anniversary of HK's return to motherland
Parts of central and east China are battling severe floods caused by continuous heavy rains over the past two weeks, with competent authorities mobilizing human and material resources in disaster relief to ensure people's safety and minimize losses.
In Pingjiang Country of central China's Hunan Province, nearly half of the urban areas have been flooded due to intense rains that has persisted since June 18, trapping residents at home. The downpours have also led to widespread power disruptions.
According to preliminary estimates by local authorities, a total of 340,000 people have been affected, while more than 2,600 bridges and roads have been destroyed, and 11 households have sustained severe damages.
In response, since 06:00 on Monday, disaster relief workers have been conducting search and rescue operations across the county and using kayaks to evacuate trapped residents to safety.
On Monday night, the county activated a Level-I emergency response of flood control, the most urgent response in China.
As of the early hours of Tuesday, the water level on the Pingjiang section of the Miluo River's main channel had reached 77.67 meters, exceeding the alert level by 7.17 meters.
Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui Province, has also been battered by heavy rains, with a residential complex in the city seeing severe waterlogging.
Local authorities have mobilized emergency rescue teams to evacuate the trapped residents, and those living on the first floor have been evacuated.
Due to persistent heavy rains since June 22, paddy crops in Susong County of the province have also been flooded. Local authorities are currently using water pumps to drain floodwaters from the inundated farmlands.
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction has updated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief for the province and dispatched a team to inspect the disaster situation and offer guidance and support for local disaster relief endeavors.
China has a four-level emergency response system for disaster relief, with Level IV being the lowest level and Level I the highest.
Parts of China battle severe flooding after heavy rains
