The real-estate market in south China's Zhongshan City is heating up driven by the opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, with home buyers flocking here from the opposite side of the Pearl River Estuary.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a mega cross-sea passage in south China that features two bridges, two artificial islands, and an underwater tunnel, opened to traffic at 15:30 on June 30.
Spanning 24 km, the link drastically reduces travel time between the city of Zhongshan and the technology hub of Shenzhen, situated on opposite sides of the Pearl River Estuary in Guangdong Province, cutting the duration of the trip from two hours to around 30 minutes.
The opening of the link has boosted the personnel exchanges and development of relevant industries, including the real estate sector.
Over last weekend, at the sales center of a real estate project in Ma'an Island, Zhongshan City, many home buyers gathered in front of the sand table, many of whom came to see the house through the newly-opened Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link.
"I just want to settle here and lead my retired life, because the environment here is very desirable. It is seaside and free from pollution," said a home buyer.
Huang Yanqing, a sales manager of the real estate project said that they had sold more than 20 apartments last week, which is more than three or four times the number before the opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link.
"(The number of customer visits) is about five times more than before the bridge was opened. Especially on Saturday, we received a total of six groups. We took the customers to home tours until midnight and our last deal was closed late into the wee hours at 01:04," said Huang.
After the opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, real estate projects in Ma'an Island and Torch Development Zone, which are close to the exit of the link, have benefited the most. The number of customer inquiries and home-viewing tours from Shenzhen and other places has increased significantly, while most real estate projects in the rest of Zhongshan City are less affected.
Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link heats up housing market in Zhongshan
Travelers to Lebanon are seeking a quick and secure way out of the country, as Israel ramps up its attacks on Hezbollah. Governments worldwide have also facilitated evacuations, encouraging their citizens to leave before the situation worsens.
Annika finally made it to the airport in Beirut. She was supposed to leave next week, but the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants shortened her stay. Now, the only thing on her mind is getting back home.
"It's horrible. And you have drones flying over your house and things like that. I didn't feel afraid, but I also have to leave in the future for work, and I don't know, it's so insecure. Maybe I don't want to stay here for another few weeks," said Annika, a traveler leaving Lebanon.
Although everything seemed calm and far away for the first few days, the scene changed quickly in Beirut. Israeli airstrikes intensified, causing many to flee as fast as they could.
"I'm very worried because you don't know what can happen from day to day. You're living like second to second. You don't know what's going to happen. And it's very, very stressful. And this has to come to an end, you know? So, it's time. It's time to go," said Tania, another traveler leaving Lebanon.
The fighting, which has escalated over the past few weeks, has forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists and people with dual citizenship, leaving many scrambling to the airport to secure any available flight in an atmosphere of ongoing strikes. Governments have stepped in to assist with these evacuations, using various channels to reach those who need help.
"We have been using social media a lot to get the message out. [For] our foreign minister, prime minister, and the embassy here in Lebanon, we have been putting out on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Instagram the message that the crisis is here, you need to leave now as soon as possible. And still some don't get the message. But we're getting there, because we've got a good pick-up today, we're getting close to 500 people out on two assisted departures to Cyprus today. And we'll probably continue that for a few days," said Andrew Barnes, Australian ambassador to Lebanon.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Australia have all sent government representatives to Beirut to help people who want to leave or need support. Though the first couple of days were chaotic, as many were fleeing, the evacuation now seems to be proceeding steadily. Although Beirut and its airport are still relatively safe, governments urge their citizens to leave before things worsen.
"We've been dealing with this crisis for a while now, and our government has been urging Australians in Lebanon to return home because we were fearful that the situation could escalate. Now it has escalated badly and we are urging all Australians to come to the airport and get on a flight. There are still flights going, the airports still open. They need to leave now because we don't know how the crisis might escalate," Barnes said.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has intensified its airstrikes against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, causing great civilian casualties and forcing residents in many areas to leave their homes. It has also launched what it describes as a "limited" ground operation in Lebanon.
Countries facilitate citizens' evacuation from Lebanon as fighting intensifies
