Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in east China rolled out emergency precautions on Wednesday as Typhoon Champi approached.
Fujian has activated a Level-IV typhoon emergency response, while Zhejiang has upgraded its maritime anti-typhoon alert to Level-III, suspending ferry services and offshore construction work to prevent potential risks.
Strong winds of Force 8-9 [Beaufort scale] swept across coastal waters and major fishing grounds in Fujian, with gusts reaching 9-11 in some sea areas.
Local meteorological authorities forecast that Champi may enter Fujian's typhoon warning zone around noon on Thursday.
In response, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response for typhoon -- the lowest in China's four-tier system -- at 11:00 on Wednesday, urging authorities in all coastal areas to closely track the typhoon's movement, strengthen risk assessment and fully implement all prevention measures.
Zhejiang's Maritime Safety Administration raised its typhoon emergency response from Level-IV to Level-III at 8:00 on Wednesday.
As of 10:00 on the same day, 36 passenger ferry routes heading for island scenic spots in Wenzhou, Taizhou and Zhoushan had been suspended, and 223 offshore construction projects along the coast halted.
Maritime authorities warned vessels to maintain close ship‑shore contact, keep track of the typhoon's developments, steer clear of areas likely to be impacted at an early stage and ensure navigation safety.
Typhoon Champi prompts emergency responses in east China
As China marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, a roughly 12,500-kilometer military odyssey, German writer Christian Y. Schmidt shared his and fellow author Volker Haering's extraordinary cycling journey retracing the the historic route with local audiences in Germany.
The Long March (1934-1936) was a military maneuver by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army that later became a defining episode in modern Chinese history, symbolizing endurance and perseverance as troops crossed some of the country's harshest terrain to establish a new revolutionary base. Some marched as far as 12,500 kilometers, enduring hunger, thirst and cold.
Schmidt and his friend, fellow writer Haering spent 138 days between 2023 and 2024, cycling nearly 7,000 kilometers along the historic route of the Chinese Red Army, starting from Ruijin County in east China's Jiangxi Province and heading northwest.
Their experiences have been compiled into a book titled "Der lange Fahrrad-Marsch: 7.000 Kilometer durch das Reich der Mitte".
Last week, Schmidt shared extraordinary journey with audiences at the Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf, drawing engagement from local attendees seeking fresh perspectives on Chinese modern history.
"I think we can take away an inspiration from this: As long as you keep moving forward, never give up, and always keep your eyes fixed on your goal, you will surely be able to keep going. And if you encounter difficulties along the way, you just have to find ways to overcome them," said Schmidt.
The presentation prompted reflections on endurance and modern development among the German audience.
"Mao Zedong once said, 'Nothing is impossible in the world if you dare to scale the heights.' I think this is precisely the spirit demonstrated during the Long March. Who could have imagined that after enduring such hardship, victory could still be achieved in the end? I think that is the lesson we can draw from it. In a sense, the memory of the Long March seems deeply etched into the genes of future generations," said Kneppel, an attendee.
"China's development is indeed nothing short of a miracle. China has achieved astonishing leaps in technological development. Driven by the government, China displays tremendous vitality, focus, and purposeful effort. The Chinese government unites people from all over the country to march toward the exact same goal, and I have witnessed this with my own eyes," said Maria, another attendee.
German writer shares 7,000 km Long March cycling journey with audiences
