Guangzhou, in South China's coastal Guangdong Province, is already withstanding strong winds and heavy rains on Sunday preceding Typhoon Wipha, the sixth typhoon of the year, which is expected to land later that day.
Strong winds blew trees down in the city and whipped up waves in coastal areas.
Nansha District, the southernmost area of Guangzhou, was the very first places affected by Wipha, where more trees were toppled down. Currently, all coastal attractions and facilities in Nansha are closed, and residents in low-lying areas have been evacuated.
The main waterway at the Pearl River estuary is under temporary traffic control. The Guangzhou Maritime Bureau has executed access restriction to the sea route from 14:30 Saturday to 08:00 Monday.
All water construction operations under the Guangzhou maritime jurisdiction have been halted, and all non-powered construction vessels and personnel working for offshore wind power projects south of the Humen Bridge have been evacuated.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Huangmaohai Sea-crossing Channel, more adjacent to the open sea, are temporarily closed starting Sunday.
Currently, work and schools have been suspended in Nansha District, and businesses close to some coastal areas are closed.
Guangzhou withstands strong winds, heavy rains preceding Typhoon Wipha
The number of temporary accommodation registrations of foreign nationals in Shanghai hit a record high of 7.139 million in 2025, up 49.6 percent from the previous year, the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau said at a press briefing on Thursday.
The figure, which had already doubled in 2024, points to a continued rise in the number of foreign nationals visiting and staying in the city, highlighting the metropolis's growing appeal to international visitors.
Shanghai also issued more than 200,000 visas and residence permits to foreigners for the second consecutive year in 2025.
Long-term permits, including residence permits, accounted for a share 10 percentage points higher than the previous year, reflecting growing demand for extended stays.
Officials said the increase mirrors Shanghai's expanding openness and improving services for foreign visitors and residents.
"In 2025, Shanghai processed 7.139 million temporary accommodation registrations for foreigners. Following a doubling from the year before last, the figure rose by another 49.6 percent year on year, marking a historical high in the number of foreign nationals coming to Shanghai," said Song Weiqi, deputy head of the administration corps.
Accommodation registrations are required for foreigners staying in China. In 2025, 94.7 percent of temporary accommodation registrations were handled directly by hotels, resulting in a convenient check-in process.
Among foreigners residing in Shanghai's residential communities, 84.8 percent opted for online self-reporting via a multilingual platform that offers efficient, flexible registration.
Meanwhile, to ease the surge in passport applications for foreign travel ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February, the administration corps announced plans to extend service hours for residents.
Shanghai hits a record-high 7.14 million expat accommodation registrations in 2025
Shanghai hits a record-high 7.14 million expat accommodation registrations in 2025
