Hurricane Francine wreaks havoc in Louisiana, with residents still reeling from impacts of previous ones

China

Hurricane Francine wreaks havoc in Louisiana, with residents still reeling from impacts of previous ones

2024-09-14 22:32 Last Updated At：09-15 15:27

Hurricane Francine slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Wednesday, causing no fatalities but significant damage especially in communities that are still recovering from previous hurricanes.

More than 100,000 homes and businesses across the U.S. state of Louisiana were without power on Friday.

In Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, volunteers are giving out food and water as a large number of residents in the county suffer power outages for two days, which has spoiled contents of their refrigerators as temperatures creep towards 32 degrees Celsius with 70 percent humidity.

Volunteers from the Bayou Blue Assembly spent Friday handing out food, water, and hygiene products to over 600 people.

"We in two hours have served 406 cars - that's not including how many families were in each car," said Michelle Guidry, a Children's Pastor from Bayou Blue Assembly.

Volunteers Convoy of Hope - a non-profit humanitarian organization- are also loading supplies, including food and water, into cars.

"We were heavy on food and water this time. Had there been more damage, we would have chosen more cleaning supplies, more tarps and that sort of thing. So that's kind of how we gauge it based on how much damage there is," said Mark Epps, the Response Manager of Convoy of Hope.

Mark says the organization gets busier by the year as storms become more frequent and more intense.

Many of the residents here in Terrebonne Parish still vividly remember Hurricane Ida from three years ago, when storm surges left 60 percent of the homes in this community unlivable.

"Some are just now, three years later, getting into their homes, getting their roofs fixed, getting those things done, working overtime, doing second jobs, doing everything they could do to try to fix their stuff. And so here another hurricane comes in," said Pastor Patrick Thompson from Bayou Blue Assembly.

Many households hit by the previous hurricane did not have insurance, yet those who did hardly got enough money to rebuild their houses. Moreover, they are starting to feel the impacts of the new hurricane.

Felicia Davenport and her husband were still in the process of repairing damage from Ida when Francine hit, ripping off part of their roof and destroying their ceiling.

"We were still repairing the floors and stuff like that. We're in a rental house, we don't even have rental insurance. [With] the last hurricane Ida we got the 500 dollars, that's everybody got and that was it," said Felicia Davenport

Though the storm has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone on late Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, many in this community still feel like they have their heads just above water.

Foreign tourists drawn to China for unique cultural experiences seen in films

2025-03-08 13:29 Last Updated At：13:37

More and more foreign tourists are visiting China to enjoy the country's breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture they have seen in Chinese films, as part of the "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiative.

The initiative, launched by the China Film Administration and China Media Group, aims to capitalize on the popularity of the recent Chinese blockbusters and draw more foreign tourists to the country.

In Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province, foreign students studying at local universities who are fond of the Cantonese opera film "The Legend of The White Snake" put on makeup and practiced basic Cantonese opera singing and movements under the guidance of professional instructors.

"I just feel like the principal role in a movie. It's so amazing, like I feel like the people are going to go and sing there. It's like getting to know the culture in the firsthand. When you come and you get dressed like this, and you get the makeup -- this is the best way to know a culture, and I feel so excited," said Fatima, a student from El Salvador.

As many foreign tourists are initially introduced to China through films featuring Chinese calligraphy and Kung Fu, they look forward to experiencing more of these elements during their visit.

Therefore, many travelers select Beijing as their destination to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture they've seen on screen.

"Chinese movies are very popular. Wherever I go, I write their names in their local script. I love culture, I love local culture. And it looks beautiful, the calligraphy," said Sri Chandra, an Indian tourist visiting Beijing.

"Because it (the Great Wall) is beautiful in the films, you know, the temples. And we wanted to see that with our eyes," said Matilda, a tourist from France.

"It's a great experience. I love Beijing," said Maeve, another French tourist.

Beijing welcomed 91,000 inbound tourists during this year's Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 51.9 percent, according to data from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

To offer better and tailored service for travelers from various countries, many travel agencies in the city have launched special tours focused on experiencing Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

"We have arranged for tourists to engage in painting Peking Opera masks, practicing tea art and exploring intangible cultural heritage in hutongs (narrow alleys commonly found in northern Chinese cities). Our goal is to add in-depth cultural experience in their journey," said Ren Zhenqiang, head of a travel agency in Beijing.