Heavy rain batters multiple regions, millions affected as alerts raised

South China is being hit by a concentrated period of heavy rainfall as the summer monsoon sets in over the South China Sea, with authorities issuing multiple weather alerts and evacuating tens of thousands of people.

The National Meteorological Center on Tuesday morning renewed an orange rainstorm warning, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system, as well as a yellow alert for severe convective weather, warning of torrential downpours in parts of the south.

In south China's Guangdong Province, 46 towns and streets in Shanwei, Jieyang, Shantou and other cities have experienced extraordinary heavy rainfall since Friday night, prompting the province to raise its flood control emergency response to Level III, the second-highest on a four-tier scale.

As of noon on Monday, more than 24,000 people had been relocated across the province, local authorities said.

In Lufeng, a county-level city under Shanwei, low-lying urban and rural areas were flooded, trapping some residents. Fire and rescue personnel used rubber boats to deliver drinking water, food and medicine to stranded residents in Jiaxi Township on Monday morning. Schools in Lufeng remain closed, though water, power and road traffic have returned to normal as of Tuesday.

In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, persistent rainfall caused flooding in Wuzhou, Guigang and other cities, prompting emergency response and drainage efforts.

By 15:00 Monday, water levels on five rivers in Guigang had risen above the alert mark by up to 1.22 meters.

The deepest flooding in Gangbei District reached about 30 centimeters. Water levels are receding and traffic has largely resumed in previously affected areas.

The regional meteorological bureau raised its emergency response for heavy rain from Level IV to Level III on Monday due to persistent downpours.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Monday raised its emergency response for Guangdong and Guangxi from Level IV to Level III and deployed an additional working group to Guangxi to assist with flood control efforts.

Also on Monday, heavy rain also hit parts of Fujian and Taiwan, as well as the southern part of Heilongjiang, central and eastern Jilin, northern Liaoning, eastern Shanxi, the Sichuan Basin and Yunnan, where moderate to heavy rain was reported.

Heavy rain batters multiple regions, millions affected as alerts raised

China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.

Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.

This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.

The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.

Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.

In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.

Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"

China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.

China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers