Strong cold wave hits parts of China

A strong cold wave has swept through a large part of northern and eastern China since Friday, causing a sharp drop in temperatures in the affected areas. From Thursday evening, the eastern province of Shandong has experienced widespread rainfall, with some areas being hit by downpours.

In Qingdao City, heavy rains caused street water-logging and raised river levels in some areas.

In addition, the sudden temperature decline in Dezhou City has forced local residents to put on heavy coats and gloves.

"It felt colder after the rain yesterday. When I rode my electric scooter out this morning, I had to wear my down jacket and long johns because it was so cold," said a Dezhou resident surnamed Yang.

Meanwhile, north China's Hebei Province is also impacted by the cold air and has seen widespread rainfall and a sudden drop in temperatures. The province issued a yellow alert for cold wave on Saturday, with the lowest temperatures expected to drop by 10 to 12 degrees Celsius in most areas over this weekend.

"It rained all night, and it is so cold today. I put on thick clothes when I went out," said Shao Jianchao, a resident in Hebei's Handan City.

Strong cold wave hits parts of China

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The high-speed railway connecting east China's Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province and Hong Kong was put into use on Sunday, cutting travel time between the two cities to below seven hours.   Departing from Hangzhou West Station at 15:10 BJT, the G99 train passes six stations before arriving at 21:56 BJT at West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong. Passengers only need to scan their Exit and Entry Permit at the station to finish cross-boundary inspection.   "It takes just over six hours to arrive in Hong Kong, which is not that long. I have my Hong Kong-Macao Entry-Exit Permit, and all I need is to scan it on the machine over the counter," said Jin Siyu, a traveler taking the first train.   To further facilitate travelers on the route, Hangzhou West Station now allows passengers to extend their Entry-Exit Permit with self-service machines.

"It takes around two to three minutes to finish (the extension) on this machine. But we can only provide extension services," said Chen Na, a staff member at the police station at Hangzhou West Station Hub, under the Yuhang District branch of Hangzhou City Public Security.

Railway connecting Hangzhou and Hong Kong begins operation