Cities in China's Yangtze River Delta region have triggered emergency responses, including cancellation of trains and flights, road closures, and the relocation of affected civilians, after Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Shanghai on Monday, causing extensive disruption as it moves northwestward.
Bebinca, the 13th typhoon of the year, made landfall in the Pudong District of Shanghai around 07:30 on Monday morning.
At the time of landfall, the maximum wind speed near the eye of the storm was about 42 meters per second, making it the strongest typhoon to land in Shanghai in decades.
In preparation for the storm, the city had relocated over 410,000 residents, canceled 577 trains and 1,461 flights.
On Monday afternoon, the first flights landed at Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai since the two airports announced on Sunday evening that all flights were cancelled because of Bebinca.
In nearby Jiangsu Province, cities including Nantong and Suzhou have been lashed by gales and strong rainfall. Expressways in parts of Suzhou, Nantong, Wuxi and Changzhou cities were closed while reduced speed limits, toll booth closures and the closures of bridges across the the Yangtze River were also put into effect.
Over 21,000 vessels have returned to ports in Jiangsu, while more than 7,700 construction sites and 315 scenic spots in the province have also been closed.
In Zhejiang Province's eastern coastal city of Zhoushan, local authorities relocated over 44,000 residents living in the danger-prone regions.
At 15:00 on Monday, China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters lowered the emergency response for Shanghai and Zhejiang from the previous Level III to Level IV, while the emergency response status for Jiangsu and east China's Anhui Province has been maintained at Level IV.
China's National Meteorological Center said that Bebinca will bring more heavy or torrential rain to Shanghai, northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan in the next three days.
Emergency responses triggered across eastern China in face of Typhoon Bebinca
China's top housing authority has noted "overall positive changes" in the real estate market, as homebuyer confidence was revived by a series of beneficial measures announced by major Chinese cities since September to boost the country's property markets.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said most cities have seen a rise in visits to property projects by over 50 percent from a year ago.
Thanks to new policy adjustments on Sept 30, both transaction volume and inquiries for second-hand homes in Beijing increased notably during the week-long National Day holiday, which runs from Oct 1 to 7.
"On Oct 1, four orders were signed at our store and on Oct 2, one order was signed, bringing the total number to five. This marks a historical peak in our transaction records," said Liu Qiujing, a house agent at Huilongguan sub-branch of Lianjia Real Estate Brokerage in Beijing.
She also reported that property viewings at her store stood at 39 groups during the holiday, an increase of 15 groups over the previous week.
According to a circular jointly issued by six municipal departments on Sept 30, non-Beijing residents are allowed to purchase homes inside the city's fifth ring road if they have a record of paying social insurance or individual income tax in the city for at least three years - down from five years as was previously required.
The new policies which took effect on Oct 1 also lift the housing purchase restrictions in Tongzhou District, where the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center is located, to allow the district's homebuying rules to comply with the city's unified property market policy.
Under the new rules, homebuyers face less financial pressure, as the minimum down payment ratio for individual commercial mortgages are reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent for first-home purchases, and from 30 percent to 20 percent for second homes.
"Following the introduction of the new regulations, buyers have shown a stronger willingness to purchase properties, acquiring them more swiftly. Clients with rigid demand for residential housing are swiftly entering the market. From the perspective of homebuyers, their confidence has significantly increased," said Liu.
Between Oct 1 and noon of Oct 3, on-site inquiries for second-hand homes in Beijing jumped by 104.1 percent year on year, according to a report on the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
China's housing market sees positive changes following eased homebuying rules
