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According to Wuhu COVID-19 Prevention and Control Headquarters, a total of 4,014,807 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Wuhu as of August 1^st. Among them, 2,217,762 people have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, which accounts for 74.95% of the target number; 1,447,794 people have finished the second shot, accounting for 49.61%; 349,251 people have completed the third jab. Those who have finished all injections of COVID-19 vaccines account for 36.52 percent of the target number. 84,182 minors aged between 15 and 17 years old have been vaccinated in the city, accounting for 85.61% of the total number in the same age group.

Counties and districts in the city publish the information of vaccination sites via WeChat official accounts every day, allowing people to be vaccinated to choose based on their needs. On August 2^nd, the city starts vaccinating teenagers aged 12-14 in the downtown area against COVID-19, according to the reporter. For those aged 12–14 who have no contraindications, their parents need to sign Informed Consent for COVID-19 Vaccination and bring their ID cards, household registration booklets to register personal information. It is noticed that the city has arranged centralized vaccination for adolescents aged between 15 and 17 years old. For example, the school-age students of Foreign Language School Attached to Anhui Normal University get vaccinated at the appointed time at Grand Plaza, which makes the vaccination more orderly and efficient.

Wuhu COVID-19 Prevention and Control Headquarters once again reminded the public that vaccination is the most economical and effective measure to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19. For those who have not been vaccinated, please complete the injection as soon as possible according to the arrangement, making joint efforts to protect all people in the city from being infected. In addition, it is necessary to monitor personal health conditions, be aware of personal protection, and keep “three essentials for epidemic prevention” in mind: wearing masks, practicing social distancing and maintaining personal hygiene. In case you have fever, cough, diarrhea, fatigue, reduced sense of taste and smell, or any other abnormal symptoms, you should wear disposable surgical masks or respirators of grade KN95/N95 or above, and go to the nearest fever clinic in time. With the strict implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, anyone entering indoor public places must make an appointment in a staggered manner, have their temperature checked, present a green QR code, wear a mask and stand behind the one-meter line. Please avoid gatherings or crowds, and stay far from crowded venues, especially poorly ventilated places.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

Team China started powerfully at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Chinese athletes have secured eleven medals in the first two days of the Tokyo Olympics, including six gold medals, putting China at the top of the medal table and the gold count at the end of Day Two. Four of the six gold medals of Chinese team so far were won by female athletes.

Housing the smallest number of spectators for an Olympics, Tokyo 2020 has been dubbed one of the coldest Olympics ever. However, Chinese fans are making it the hottest topic on the Chinese internet, and cheering for China’s medal success is just a small part of it as netizens now appreciate more the human touch side of the Olympic Games.

Continuing the good momentum of the first day when team China won three gold medals, on Sunday afternoon, the Chinese diving “dream team” delivered like they always do. Veterans Shi Tingmao and Wang Han claimed a gold medal in the 3 meter spring board, a fifth consecutive Olympic title for China. The duo led the race by a huge margin from the very start.

The fifth gold soon followed as weightlifter Li Fabin set a new Olympic record on his way to clinching gold in the weightlifting men’s 61 kilogram. On his second attempt, his clean and jerk lift of 172kilogram – also an Olympic record – saw the 28-year-old standing with the bar above his head while standing on one leg.

Chen Lijun retained the men’s 67 kilogram total gold medal with 332 kilograms, registering the sixth gold for Team China on Sunday evening.

Team China made a good start on the first day of the competition. 21-year-old shooter Yang Qian on Saturday morning claimed the first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 10 meter air rifle with a record-breaking 251.8 points. Yang won over the Chinese public with her cuteness when she showed off her delicate pink finger nails and made a giant heart sign with her arms on the podium.

Later on Saturday afternoon, Hou Zhihui won a gold medal in the women’s 49 kilogram-class weightlifting, winning the second gold for the Chinese delegation. Hou broke three Olympic records in the final, making up for missing the Rio Olympics at the last minute five years ago.

Also on the first day, épée fencer Sun Yiwen edged out world No. 1 Ana Maria Popescu of Romania in a nail-biter to win a third gold for Team China.

There are some things that are much more important than winning an Olympic medal, Chinese netizens have been telling their athletes in the past few days.

In the same event in which Yang Qian won the first gold medal for Team China, Yang’s teammate, shooter Wang Luyao, went out in the preliminaries. After the contest, Wang posted a selfie on China’s Twitter-like social platform Sina Weibo and said that she had “chickened out.”

Wang was then fiercely attacked by some netizens, who said that “this is not a reasonable attitude to take when you lose.” Some even said that Wang “does not deserve to represent her country.” Wang later deleted the post.

Responding to extreme emotional outbursts of netizens, more of the public immediately voiced strong support for Wang. They flooded Wang’s Sina Weibo account to express their love and backing for her, while condemning online violence. The hashtag “Wang Luyao is still an amazing girl” quickly rose to the top of Sina Weibo’s trending list and remained there for a long time.

A total of 65 Weibo accounts have been muted from 90 to 180 days for maliciously attacking Olympic athletes as of Sunday.

Several Chinese media outlets also published articles expressing their support for Wang. “Every Chinese athlete deserves our pride,” wrote the Beijing Evening News.

As China’s national strength continues to grow, the country has long passed the era where the attitude of “Only the championship counts” prevailed. Now people appreciate more the spirit of participation, fight till the end and perform your best.

Both China’s athletes and spectators have been gaining a greater appreciation for what the Olympics embodies – the Olympic spirit, the intergenerational legacy of athletes, the toughness of veterans and the sharpness of newcomers, and even the stories behind the Games’ losers.

On Sunday afternoon, China’s women’s volleyball team, a traditional favorite to win medal, suffered a crushing 0-3 loss to Turkey in its Olympic debut match. On the Chinese women’s volleyball team’s social media, while some fans complained about their performance, many expressed their belief in the athletes and their concerns over the injury suffered by main player Zhu Ting in their messages.

Many fans of women’s volleyball also recalled the Rio Olympics five years ago, when the Chinese women’s volleyball team won two and lost three matches in the group stage in a shock fourth group result, but eventually went on to win the title in a legendary finale. “I hope the girls can bounce back again,” wrote one netizen on Sina Weibo, “but even if they don’t, I’ll still be proud.”

Chinese viewers are paying more attention to the stories behind the athletes rather than just the wins and losses.

Netizens lauded Jiang Ranxin and Sheng Lihao, the two athletes who were born after year 2000 and won medals in shooting events, as “the hope of the future.” Netizens also marveled at the mentality of 36-year-old Pang Wei, who is competing in the Olympics for the fourth time, and 30-year-old Wang Han, who is making her Olympic debut. Netizens have also been following Olympic stories from distant lands – such as the 41-year-old Iranian night nurse who won a gold medal.

Shadow of COVID-19

The host city of Tokyo reported 1,763 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, as Japan struggles to contain a new wave of infections amid the Olympics, marking the sixth straight day of over 1,000 cases. Daily new infections in the capital averaged 1,453.6 in the week to Sunday, compared with 1,068.3 the previous week.

On Sunday, the first COVID-19 infection of an Olympics athlete was confirmed, local media outlet Kyodo News reported on Sunday afternoon. Dutch rower Finn Florijn tested positive for COVID-19 after competing on Friday, but rowing events on Sunday were held as scheduled.

The committee reported a total of 10 new infections related to the Olympics on Sunday, including another athlete from overseas, bringing the total since the beginning of this month to 132.

The Global Times reporter noted in the Olympic venues in the mix zone that the Organizing Committee has been fairly strict in managing epidemic prevention among athletes and media personnel during and after events. For example, the distance between each press member is set at 1 meter, and distance between players is set at 2 meters. There is also a no standing zone to help maintain distance between press members and competitors.

However, the GT reporter also noted that from time to time, some press members ignored these measures, such as standards of mask wearing or social distance requirements. Previous media reports have also pointed out the possibility of media personnel coming into contact with Tokyo citizens.

Based on the current lax manner in the way some Olympic event personnel and venues are implementing epidemic prevention measures, there may be an increase in Olympic-related cases in the future, observers noted. If it leads to more athletes becoming infected, more game rescheduling may also be possible.

Photo taken on July 25, 2021 shows tourists walk on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, east China as Typhoon In-Fa lashes the city. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Typhoon In-Fa made landfall in east China’s Zhejiang Province at noon on Sunday, packing winds of up to 38 meters per second at its center, according to the provincial flood control headquarters.

The typhoon — the sixth of this year — hit land in Putuo District, Zhoushan City, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the headquarters said.

Weather authorities have forecast the typhoon will make a second landfall in coastal areas between Zhejiang’s Jiaxing City and Jiangsu Province’s Qidong City on Sunday night.

It is expected to linger in east China after its second landfall and bring continued strong rainstorms to the Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, and Shanghai.

The typhoon started to wreak havoc in Zhejiang on Saturday, bringing heavy downpours, strong gales and floods. More than 6 km of roads in Zhoushan have been inundated by seawater.

The Zhejiang provincial flood control headquarters upgraded its emergency response for Typhoon In-Fa to the highest level, Level I, at Saturday noon. As of Sunday noon, about 17,000 fishing vessels had returned to ports for shelter, and over 1.5 million people across the province had been evacuated to safe places.

Zhejiang has opened more than 12,000 temporary shelter facilities to the public.

In the neighboring megacity of Shanghai, Typhoon In-Fa had felled over 1,000 trees and caused waterlogging in several places as of Sunday noon.

More than 2,000 rescue teams in the city are on stand-by.

The Shanghai metro at Sunday noon announced the suspension of services on several lines. As of 1:30 p.m. Sunday, a total of five metro lines, Line 3, Line 5, Line 16, Line 17, the Pujiang Line, and Shanghai’s Maglev Line, suspended operations.

All inbound and outbound flights at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport were canceled on Sunday.

All inbound high-speed trains for Shanghai’s railway stations will be canceled starting from 7 p.m. Sunday, according to railway authorities.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, nearly 130 tourists spots in Shanghai, including the Shanghai Disney Resort, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, had closed over safety concerns.

About 360,000 people in Shanghai have been evacuated, and more than 1,700 vessels have returned to ports, the municipal flood control headquarters said. 

Recently, Henan province was hit by a natural disaster of continuous heavy rainfall rarely seen in history, which caused huge losses and pulled the heart strings of people all over the country. On July 22, Chery Holding Group decided to donate 35 million yuan to Henan province.

Of the 35 million yuan donated by Chery Holding Group, 20 million was used for post-disaster relief work through Kaifeng Red Cross. A special fund of 15 million will be used for rescue and repair services of damaged vehicles for customers of various brands of Chery Holding Group.

It is understood that the brands of Chery Holding Group, such as Chery, Exeed, Jetour, Cowin Auto and Karry are devoted to cooperating with the local government in Henan on flood control and relief work.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

Carmakers are rushing to extend helping hands to residents and car owners suffering from the deluge caused by continuous heavy rainfall in Central China’s Henan province.

Donations from companies including Nio, Geely and Mercedes-Benz have totaled over 150 million yuan ($23.21 million), with the list of companies still growing.

Local companies including SAIC Maxus and Sino-foreign joint ventures including FAW-Volkswagen and Dongfeng Peugeot are not donating money but are offering rescue services to those in need.

Chinese startups Nio, Xpeng and Li Auto were the quickest to respond. The three made their announcements on Wednesday afternoon, with a combined donation of 40 million yuan.

“The heavy rainfall and its damage caused in Zhengzhou and other parts of Henan concern every one of us. We would like to send our sympathies to them,” said Nio CEO William Li.

Other Chinese companies soon followed. In the late afternoon of Wednesday, BYD, Geely and Great Wall Motors made public their donations of money and disaster relief goods including drones.

The three leading private carmakers’ combined donation totaled 70 million yuan. BYD is opening all its dealerships in Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan province, to local residents for urgency needs.

Also on Wednesday, Mercedes-Benz announced a donation of 10 million yuan to Henan. The German premium car brand said it has also coordinated vehicles in neighboring provinces and cities to offer rescue services for its dealers and car owners in Henan.

State-owned Chery Automobile announced on Thursday morning that it will donate 35 million yuan to the rainfall-affected cities in Henan province.

Local Chinese companies including Changan, SAIC Maxus as well as joint ventures including FAW-Volkswagen and Dongfeng Peugeot are offering rescue services to local residents and car owners.

But Dongfeng Peugeot’s hotline staff said it was not aware of the move and had no rescue vehicles or food when it was contacted by locals on late Wednesday.

The Sino-French joint venture soon apologized on its Sina Weibo account for not being fully prepared. It said a contingent team and four dealerships in Zhengzhou are already in place, saving 106 vehicles stranded in water by the early morning of Thursday.

“All passengers, please hold the handlebars. The train is moving.” In the spacious and comfortable carriage, Phase I of Wuhu Rail Transit Line 1 is undergoing on-line debugging. As early as June this year, Wuhu rail transit Line 1 has successfully passed the project acceptance, which is qualified for trial operation. We will strive to open this trial operation by the end of September this year, and rail transit Line 2 is scheduled to open for initial operation before the end of this year.

In the heat of the summer, rail transit builders are working overtime to clean up overpasses, entrances and elevators in the station.”We have increased our construction staff to do as much work as possible in the same amount of time.”Wang Yulin, deputy general manager and chief engineer of Yunda Company, said that all the builders have overcome many difficulties, such as high temperature, bad weather and the impact of the epidemic, and the construction period of the project is progressing smoothly. At present, rail transit line 1 has started the whole line trial run.

“To ensure the safety of the initial operation, the rail transit will go through a trial run for at least three months.” Wang Yulin said that in addition to rail transit construction, there are currently other problems of road maintenance, sewage pipe network transformation, urban construction pipeline change, greening and other projects, which caused difficulties to the public travel objectively. With the acceleration of the project, the conditions will be gradually alleviated.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

In order to help foreigners in Wuhu improve their Chinese level, better understand and adapt to Chinese society, Anhui Business College will launch a “Free Chinese Course for Foreigners in Wuhu” Program, which is sponsored by Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal Government.                  

    The Program is mainly composed of two parts: Business Chinese and Introduction to Chinese Culture. 

To enrich the program, some other exchange activities, such as Chinese Gala Show, Cultural Salons, Chinese Food DIY and Ancient Huizhou Village Touring, will also be arranged.

The on-campus learning part of the Program in Anhui Business College will not be charged. As for the off-campus activities, expenses incurred will be charged accordingly to those who participate on a voluntary basis. The Program is scheduled to start on August 2^nd, 2021, and lasts for 12 weeks, with the specific time as follows:

The Program is open to all foreigners who work or live in Wuhu with legal residence permit. The application deadline is July 25^th, 2021. Welcome to join us. Please click the following link to submit information:

https://docs.qq.com/form/page/DQ2hZYmxHb2JUVUdE?_w_tencentdocx_form=1

Contacts: Mr. Ye, Ms Li；     

Contact & Wechat Number:13515533417；18356996096

In order to help foreigners in Wuhu improve their Chinese level, better understand and adapt to Chinese society, Anhui Business College will launch a “Free Chinese Course for Foreigners in Wuhu” Program, which is sponsored by Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal Government.                  

    The Program is mainly composed of two parts: Business Chinese and Introduction to Chinese Culture. 

To enrich the program, some other exchange activities, such as Chinese Gala Show, Cultural Salons, Chinese Food DIY and Ancient Huizhou Village Touring, will also be arranged.

The on-campus learning part of the Program in Anhui Business College will not be charged. As for the off-campus activities, expenses incurred will be charged accordingly to those who participate on a voluntary basis. The Program is scheduled to start on August 2^nd, 2021, and lasts for 12 weeks, with the specific time as follows:

The Program is open to all foreigners who work or live in Wuhu with legal residence permit. The application deadline is July 25^th, 2021. Welcome to join us. Please click the following link to submit information:

https://docs.qq.com/form/page/DQ2hZYmxHb2JUVUdE?_w_tencentdocx_form=1

Contacts: Mr. Ye, Ms Li；     

Contact & Wechat Number:13515533417；18356996096

It is learned from the Provincial Education Department that Anhui opens a hotline for students with inquiries on financial aid at universities from now on, so as to effectively help students understand the national financial aid policy in time and accurately and apply for financial aid successfully.

The hotline mainly accepts the consultation on financial aid policies at universities and relevant complaints and suggestions, and the telephone number is 0551-62831830. The routine hotline this year will run from June 29th to September 15th (including Weekends), and the daily acceptance time is from 8:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m. In order to better serve students and their parents from poor households, the hotline will run all the year round from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. and 14:30 to 17:30 p.m. every weekday from September 16th.

According to the requirements of Anhui Provincial Center for Student Financial Aid, higher education institutions and universities across the province are also required to open hotlines to provide information on financial aid. The centralized acceptance period of hotlines in colleges and universities should be basically synchronized with that at the provincial level. For colleges and universities that finish enrollment later than September 15th, the centralized acceptance of hotlines should be extended to the end date of freshmen enrollment.

Colleges and universities should appoint responsible personnel for hotline acceptance, ensure smooth hotline, patiently answer questions concerning policy consultation, and properly handle issues and complaints. “Dead number” is strictly prohibited, and the phone call should be answered timely. During the opening period, the Provincial Center for Student Financial Aid will conduct random spot checks on the opening of hotlines at colleges and universities.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

A flag-raising ceremony is held at the Golden Bauhinia Square by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government to celebrate the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

Hong Kong’s smooth return to the motherland is an important part of the CPC’s great achievements over the last 100 years, Acting Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee said during the events held in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland.

HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) — Hong Kong on Thursday held various events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland.

PROSPERITY SINCE RETURN

China’s national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) were hoisted and the national anthem was played at the Golden Bauhinia Square in a flag-raising ceremony held by the HKSAR government on Thursday morning.

Helicopters flew over Victoria Harbor and a fireboat sprayed a water salute.

Hong Kong’s smooth return to the motherland is an important part of the CPC’s great achievements over the last 100 years, Acting Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee said on Thursday morning during the events held in celebration at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

Lee vowed continued efforts to safeguard national security, improve the implementation of “one country, two systems” and forge ahead with a pragmatic approach and the spirit of rising to the challenge.

With the leadership of the CPC, the strong support of the nation and the success in implementing “one country, two systems,” Hong Kong compatriots will be able to share the glory of a prosperous and strong nation, said Chen Dong, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.

Chuang Tze-cheung with the Hong Kong Celebrations Association said Hong Kong will continue to give full play to its unique advantages under “one country, two systems” and make greater achievements with the effective administration of the HKSAR government and concerted efforts of the society.

GRAND CELEBRATIONS

A series of celebrations were organized across Hong Kong, including parades of buses and fishing vessels, and festive decorations could be found in many places from stores along the streets to landmark buildings.

In Victoria Harbor, fishing vessels sailed in a procession and were greeted by joyful Hong Kong residents on the bank.

A torch relay race was also held to mark the centenary of the CPC and the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return. A participant born in 1997 said this year’s July 1 is a meaningful day and he felt the responsibility on him and also the young generation at large to carry on the success of Hong Kong.

A reception is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government in celebration of the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

Hongkong Post started on Thursday issuing commemorative stamps for the big day, its first release on the theme of the CPC. Long queues were spotted outside post offices in the morning even before the opening hour.

A commemorative movie named “1921” is on the big screens in multiple cinemas.

Fishing boats flying China’s national flags and the flags of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) cruise at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

It is particularly meaningful to watch this film on this special day, Chuang Tze-cheung said, adding that he hopes more young people will watch this movie.