Torrential rains battered northeast China on Monday, triggering floods across the region.
With over two centimeters of rain falling, the downpour submerged streets in Dalian City of Liaoning Province, trapping vehicles and residents.
Floodwaters in Huanan Square in downtown Dalian reached 1.2 meters deep, stranding more than 20 vehicles including two buses that were nearly submerged to seat level with passengers still aboard. Emergency crews waded through the flood to evacuate those trapped.
Rescuers also saved a mother and daughter from their flooded car near Qianguan wetland park, while police transferred two people to safety after their SUV began floating in rising waters.
By Monday night, authorities had assisted over 200 vehicles and rescued more than 40 residents citywide. The heavy rainfall has since subsided in Dalian.
Heilongjiang Province also experienced heavy rain starting Monday, with 3,280 monitoring stations reporting significant rainfall.
The hardest-hit areas included the provincial capital of Harbin and western Mudanjiang City, where 147 stations recorded over 25 millimeters of rain. The Weixing Reservoir in Wuchang City received 61.5 millimeters.
Authorities issued blue alerts at 19:00 Monday for potential mountain floods and geological disasters including landslides and mudflows. The provincial meteorological bureau forecasts continued rainfall through June 19, keeping emergency teams on high alert across the region.
Heavy rain brings flooding to northeast China
The International Forum on Mutual Learning among Civilizations 2026 opened in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Monday, bringing together nearly 300 participants from more than 20 countries and regions to discuss how civilizations learn from one another, with topics ranging from the ancient Silk Road to the role of AI in cultural exchange.
Themed "Mutual Learning among Civilizations, Inheritance and Development", the two-day forum has gathered government officials, international organization representatives and scholars for nearly 40 talks and discussions on three topics: "Cross-disciplinary Cultural Dialogue," "Cultural Connections between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries," and "The Glory of Civilizations in the AI Era".
Opening the forum, Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai noted that Macao is an important node on the Maritime Silk Road and a place where different cultures have coexisted harmoniously for more than 400 years.
He said Macao will further implement the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping and give full play to its strategic positioning as a vital window for exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations.
Li Guoqiang, a member of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Research Center for Macao History at the Chinese Academy of History, said since Macao's return to the motherland, the practice of "one country, two systems" has not only created a great miracle of economic prosperity, social stability and improved livelihoods, but also preserved the SAR's cultural diversity.
Seven internationally renowned experts and scholars from the fields of history, jurisprudence, finance, sociology, the history of state relations, and journalism and communication also shared their research insights on cultural inheritance and exchange in their keynote speeches.
Tuesday's sessions will delve into the Maritime Silk Road and the past and future of China-Portuguese-speaking countries cultural exchanges, as well as AI and human values.
Forum in Macao explores cultural exchange from Silk Road to AI era
