China's coastal Guangxi goes all out to tackle Typhoon Yagi

Local authorities in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are fully prepared to respond to Super Typhoon Yagi, with rescue forces and relief materials already in place, said an official with the region's Emergency Management Department on Saturday.

Yagi, the 11th typhoon of this year, has developed into a super typhoon of level 17. The maximum wind force near its center reached 208.8 km per hour when the typhoon made its second landfall in south China's Guangdong Province around 22:20 Friday.

As of 08:00 Saturday morning, the eye of Typhoon Yagi was located on the sea about 120 kilometers southwest of Weizhou Island in Guangxi.

Ahead of the storm's arrival, Guangxi ensured that all boating and other offshore operations were halted.

"Up to now, all the 6,290 registered fishing boats and 21,800 vessels under the management of towns in Guangxi have returned to harbors, more than 4,580 marine aquaculture personnel and fishing operators have all returned ashore to take refuge, and all the staff of 28 drilling platforms near Weizhou Island have been evacuated. All the non-powered construction ships of offshore wind power and other projects have been arranged to enter harbors for shelter, and all the personnel on board have been evacuated. Other ships have also been arranged to take shelter in safe anchorages according to the actual situation," said Zhou Yunkui, deputy director of the Emergency Management Department of Guangxi.

The official added that the region has dispatched ample resources to vulnerable coastal cities like the bay-situated Qinzhou.

"The Emergency Management Department has sent emergency supplies and equipment to Qinzhou in advance, dispatched rescue forces, including those with the China Anneng Group First Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., to Beihai, coordinated and arranged fire rescue teams, equipment and materials, and made full preparations for rescue. The three coastal cities have organized more than 3,000 people of social rescue forces on standby. At the same time, marine rescue forces such as high-horsepower tugs and professional rescue vessels have been arranged in advance for key sea areas, and relevant areas have been prepared with materials and rescue forces in advance for areas where disasters or dangerous situations may occur," Zhou said.

The alert for ocean waves will remain orange as it is expected that there will be wild waves of 7.0 meters to 9.0 meters in the Beibu Gulf, the waters south of Guangxi.

In China's four-tier severe weather warning system, red is the most serious alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

China's coastal Guangxi goes all out to tackle Typhoon Yagi

Chinese cities, towns and villages are putting on dazzling light and lantern shows, staging distinctive folk customs performances, and holding festive mooncake banquets in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.

In the ancient city of Kaifeng of central China's Henan Province and Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, popular tourist attractions and landmarks are bathed in lights, promising a mesmerizing nighttime experience for local residents and tourists alike.

Beijing's famous Beihai Park, a public park and former imperial garden, is staging performances themed around bianzhong, or Chinese chime bells which has a history of over 2,000 years.

In tourist towns and villages of Yunnan Province in the southwest, Zhejiang Province in th east and Guangdong Province in the south, lively folk and dragon dances are gathering numerous locals and tourists to join in the festivities.

Audiences are enjoying a poetry recitation show in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, and a symphony in Zunyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, respectively.

This year, Suining City in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest, have both prepared giant freshly made mooncakes enough to treat hundreds of people at a same time. And in a village of the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, people have prepared their own mooncakes on a flour ground from their newly harvested red sorghum.

"We are filled with the joy of harvest during the merry traditional festival. The festive mood is really nice," said Liu Ya, a local of Jiangjun Village in Chongqing's Bishan District.

Elsewhere, villages in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, are also celebrating their harvest of red pepper by drying them on the roofs. And another village in the eastern province of Shandong has recently held a large banquet for local households to share.

Outside the mainland, colorful lanterns are also dotting the various landmarks, streets and alleyways of Hong Kong and Macao, adding to the festive joy.

Celebrations held across China to mark traditional Mid-Autumn Festival