Typhoon Bavi forecast to make landfall in east China's Zhejiang

Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year, is forecast to make landfall along the coast between Sanmen and Cangnan in east China's Zhejiang Province in the early hours of Sunday.

After landfall, it is forecast to move northwestward and then shift toward a more northerly direction.

Bavi was located about 325 km southeast of the border between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, both in east China, at 13:00 on Saturday, packing maximum winds of over 130 km per hour near its center. It is predicted to be the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China this year.

Earlier on Saturday, China's National Meteorological Center issued a red alert for rainstorms and an orange alert for typhoons.

Zhejiang has also raised its emergency response to the highest level. In Yuhuan City, sustained wind speeds at an offshore wind farm reached 73 km per hour, with peak gusts exceeding 122 km per hour.

On-site footage showed white waves churning in the sea as rain- and wind-driven waves intermingled. So far, all 32 turbines at the wind farm are operating at full capacity and remain stable.

In neighboring Fujian Province, dark clouds shadowed the coast of Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City. The once azure sea turned a murky grayish-yellow, with massive waves crashing onto the sandy beach and rocks, splashing several meters into the air.

All tourist sites and island-related activities in Lianjiang have been suspended since Friday morning, and local officials and police have been deployed to patrol along the coast and guide residents away from dangerous areas.

Elsewhere in Fujian, waves of three to four meters have already been observed in the coastal waters of Yacheng Town, Xiapu County. With heavy rainfall forecast for northeastern Fujian later Sunday, local authorities in Yacheng Town have dispatched more than 40 officials and emergency rescue personnel to reinforce the seawall and prevent flooding in nearby villages and towns.

China's total box office revenue for the 2026 summer movie season has surpassed three billion yuan (about 442.68 million U.S. dollars), driven by a diverse array of domestic and foreign films, industry data showed on Monday.

As of 13:14 on Monday, earnings for the season, which runs from June 1 to Aug 31, cleared the milestone, according to Maoyan, a major Chinese ticketing platform and box office tracker.

More than 100 films are slated for release this summer, spanning genres from revolutionary history to comedy, animation, and science fiction to cater to varied audience tastes, data showed.

To stimulate consumer spending, several regions across China have introduced subsidized ticketing vouchers and expanded "Cinema Plus" initiatives. These events have enriched cultural life and helped boost seasonal consumption.