Fireworks light up Victoria Harbor during New Year celebrations on Jan 1. WANG KONGSHENG/CHINA DAILY Hong Kong, known as the Pearl of the Orient, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its return to the motherland on Saturday. To mark the occasion, China Daily and its partners will release One Hundred Photographers Focus on Hong Kong, an album of about 200 pictures that capture the city's vitality and prosperity, as well as its steady growth over the past two decades. Here, we present a selection from those images. While many things have changed since the handover on July 1, 1997, the principle of one country, two systems has ensured that the city's culture, economy and overall way of life remain. The photos in the book include stunning shots of residents and tourists enjoying traditional celebrations and visiting the city's giant Buddha statue, while others capture the excitement of race days at the popular Happy Valley and Sha Tin racecourses, as well as the nightlife on offer in Central. Over the past two decades, Hong Kong has remained an intersection of economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and has maintained its status as one of the world's most competitive regions, according to international observers. Seen through the lens of these photographers, the Pearl of the Orient has never shined brighter. plastic braceletscustomise fidget spinnerhow to make rubber braceletsjordan wristband24 wristbandscustom printed wristbandsrubber bracelets custom cheap
CHANGSHA -- Days of torrential rain in Central China's Hunan province raised the water level of the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of Yangtze River, to exceed its record flood level Sunday morning. The water level in the section of the river in Changsha, capital of Hunan, reached 39.21 meters at 6:30 am, above the previous record of 39.18 meters set by a massive flood in 1998. Already at 3.2 meters above the warning level, the water level is expected to continue to rise as heavy rain is forecast for upstream regions over the next few days. Meanwhile, the water levels in Dongting Lake and several other major rivers in Hunan have all risen above warning levels, worsening the flood control situation. Rain started to batter Hunan on June 22 and the ensuing flooding has forced 311,300 people to evacuate, damaged 295,160 hectares of crops and destroyed 6,369 houses, according to the provincial meteorological service. Rainstorms lashed 832 towns in south and eastern Hunan from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, with Huangtang in Ningyuan County receiving the most precipitation at 264.2 mm within 24 hours. In neighboring Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, flooding disrupted railway services with 45 trains canceled, returned to origin or detoured.
