Following the flash floods in Yuzhong County, Gansu Province, thousands of residents have been relocated to safety, with authorities turning 54 hotels and 14 schools or village offices into temporary shelters to house nearly 10,000 evacuees.
Yuzhong County No. 3 Middle School, the biggest shelter, is currently accommodating 170 people from Maliantan Village, Mapo Township.
"After arriving at this shelter, we had hot meals, hot water, bedding was laid out, cotton-padded clothes were given to us, and there were medical staff. We felt much more at ease," said Zhang Caixia, a resident who arrived at the shelter on Saturday early morning.
To make life here easier, the shelter is staffed with medical workers and psychological counselors. For the more than 20 children now living here, special activities such as drawing class, games and storytelling were organized.
"Right now our focus is on solving the living and eating needs of the affected residents. In terms of living, we have prepared 330 beds, with bedding, toiletries and other daily necessities fully provided. For meals, while ensuring quality and quantity, we also pay attention to nutrition. We are doing everything possible to guarantee the basic living needs of residents during their stay here, " said Ding Xingzhen, principal of the Yuzhong County No. 3 Middle School.
Torrential rain hit Yuzhong County and other parts of Lanzhou, the provincial capital, on Thursday evening, triggering flash floods and mudslides.
According to the Office of Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, as of Saturday night, the disaster had resulted in 15 deaths, left 28 people missing, and 15 injured.
Gansu authorities convert public facilities into temporary shelters to relocate flood-hit evacuees
A high-level dialogue between Chinese and African officials, researchers and students was held in Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday to discuss China-Africa cooperation in science, technology and cultural areas.
The event, called "China in Springtime: China's Development Opportunities for the World", focused on the outcomes of China's "two sessions," which approved China's 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026-2030 that maps out the country's high-quality path toward modernization, and explored opportunities for cooperation between China and the African countries.
Hosted by China Media Group (CMG), event participants discussed China's development priorities and their global implications for the next five year period.
Many agreed that China's development presents an opportunity for the world, and China's stability will inject more certainty into the international community, adding that the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges provides a new opportunity for deepening exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa.
Many participants said that China and African countries should jointly promote the building of an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future through more open and inclusive dialogue and cooperation.
At the event, several guests from South African academic, business, and educational circles discussed themed topics such as "Technology Empowering Modernization: New Momentum for China-Africa Innovation Cooperation" and "Mutual Learning Among Civilizations and Global Communication: New Frontiers for China-Africa Media Cooperation".
The event also featured screenings of several CMG productions, including a cultural program introducing China's ancient and modern technologies and the thrilling robotic martial arts performance from CMG's 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
Global dialogue event in Cape Town discusses China-Africa cooperation in science, technology, culture
