The worst flood in decades is current passing through the Yuzhong Peninsula of Chongqing Municipality, which is at the conjuncture of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River. And yet many local residents are not giving in to panic and frustration, but react rather positively and even jump to the rescue without hesitation.
The water from the Jialing River overflows the riverside road.
The flood is officially referred to as the No. 5 Flood of Yangtze River and the No. 2 Flood of Jialing River in 2020, and is expected to significantly raise the water level of the two rivers beyond safety level, according to the latest prediction from the Upper Yangtze River Hydrology and Water Resource Survey Bureau. The municipal government promptly issued a Level I emergency response to control the flood on Tuesday, a day before the situation got worse in the city.
While a lot of people from home and abroad are closely watching the situation in Chongqing via live broadcast on social media platforms, many local residents aren’t too worried about the flood and expressed total confidence in the government’s capability to cope with this crisis.
Firefighters rescuing a baby girl from the flood.
On August 18, the rise of water level in the Jialing River caused the flooding of some lower ground floors of the buildings near the riverside in Beibei District, tens of thousands of locals went to see the flood for themselves. A passerby from the crowd said, “we came here to see the flood as soon as we heard the news, and I don’t think the business here is much affected because the Mahjong houses downstairs are still operating as usual.” To ensure the safety of locals and onlookers, cordons and banners were set up along the affected areas and warning messages were broadcast via loudspeakers. Public security officers, armed police officers, as well as local government officials were stationed there on guard around the clock.
Four local residents carrying an automated Mahjong table out of the flood.
In a residential building near the Jialing River, whose lower floors were already flooded in water, many locals were still actively engaged in their favorite pastime, playing Mahjong. “We grew up by the Jialing River, and I think it’s great to keep a positive attitude in a crisis like this… It really just goes to show the calm mentality of us Chongqing people,” said an elderly. Another widely circulated photo on the internet also captures four people carrying an automated Mahjong table out of a flooded floor, prompting many netizens to comment on their positivity and optimism.
CRT posted this photo on its official Weibo account.
The famous Liziba Metro Station, a famous scenic spot that went viral on the internet for trains running right into a residential building on an elevated monorail, remained unaffected, even though the water has risen to only a few meters below. Chongqing Rail Transit’s official Weibo account even posted an edited photo of the Metro Line 2 running on water, a reference to a scene from Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 film, Spirited Away. A local jokingly said, “in the past, if someone wanted to go fishing in the river, they’d have to go down to the riverside, but now you could almost do it while taking the metro.”
Premier Li Keqiang visits the Shuangba Village in Tongnan District.
On August 20, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived at the Shuangba Village in Tongnan District, Chongqing, one of the hardest-hit places by the flood. The villagers told Li that many migrant workers had returned home to help with the fight against the flood and that no casualty has been cause so far. Li assured that the government will help them tide over this crisis, and with the optimism and cohesiveness of the people, we will definitely be able to rebuild everything in no time.