Rescue operations are in full swing in Hengzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where floodwaters are receding following reservoir breaches, with authorities deploying boats and drones to evacuate residents and deliver essential supplies.
Since Friday, Guangxi has been pelted by persistent heavy rain brought by Typhoon Maysak, which caused severe flooding in some areas. The Liulan and Yunbiao reservoirs in Hengzhou both suffered dam breaches due to the rising floodwaters.
In Yunbiao Town, local residents who were under flood threat have all been safely evacuated thanks to prompt rescue efforts, with elderly, children, and those with special needs given priority in the rescue operation. Meanwhile, relief supplies have been delivered to distribution points, and rescuers are ferrying food and water by boat to areas cut off by floods.
With the floodwaters discharged from the two breached reservoirs continuously reducing, water levels along National Highway 209 have dropped notably. Floodwaters around factories and homes in the town have largely receded, widening the reach of rescue efforts.
To address communication disruptions in the flood-stricken areas, the Ministry of Emergency Management deployed two Wing Loong unmanned aerial vehicles on Sunday evening to establish temporary mobile network coverage, while heavy-lift drones were mobilized on Monday morning to deliver food and drinking water to the areas.
Meteorological data showed that rainfall at the Yunbiao Reservoir station topped 50 millimeters from Sunday evening to Monday morning, reaching storm levels. With heavy downpours forecast to continue for the next two days, flood control teams remain on high alert.
Rescue operations underway in south China's Guangxi after reservoir breaches
Now a quiet retiree, Wang Yuchang, a recipient of the July 1 Medal, has led a life dedicated to military service, operating in secrecy and carrying out missions few ever knew existed.
Wang was among eight recipients of the July 1 Medal, the highest honorary medal of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), personally conferred by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping at a ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Wednesday.
Over 60 years ago, Wang was decorated with a first-class merit. However, he has kept the award in silence all these years.
"The military said it was top secret — never to be disclosed. So I locked these certificates away for decades," said Wang during an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Xiaoxian County of east China's Anhui Province.
Born in 1936 into a farming family in Xiaoxian County, Wang grew up in hardship. At 18, he joined the military and enlisted in the Air Force. In 1958, he was selected for a newly formed, highly classified unit — the ground-to-air missile force.
Then came a challenging mission, as a new threat had entered Chinese airspace in the form of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The U-2 was a fast, high-flying plane that was nearly impossible to intercept at the time.
Wang and his unit were given a single order to find the aircraft and stop them. With no experience to rely on, they trained repeatedly until precision became instinct.
They moved across more than ten provinces, covering over 20,000 kilometers, chasing a target that often seemed invisible.
In November 1963, and again in July 1964, two U-2 aircraft entered the kill zone. Using a tactic that would become known as a "close-range rapid strike", Wang and his comrades struck with precision, downing both targets.
"When the aircraft was hit and began to fall, everyone — whether we knew each other or not — cheered and clapped. It was overwhelming," Wang recalled.
For his contributions in air defense operations, Wang earned first-class merit and was promoted ahead of schedule. It was also during this period that he officially joined the CPC.
In 1973, after 19 years in uniform, Wang left the military and returned to civilian life as an ordinary retail counter clerk, though he always remained ready to serve his country.
"If the Party needs me, I do it. I'm like a brick — wherever the Party tells me to go, I go," said Wang.
For 45 years, he never spoke of his battlefield past. It was only in 2018, during China's nationwide veterans' registration program, that his hidden history was finally revealed.
Retired soldier honored for serving in missions kept secret for 60 years
