The forklift was removing unusable wooden objects.

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Recently, a number of netizens on Weibo have asked, “Does Hongyadong scenic spot reopen?” “Can we enjoy the night view normally?” After the flood receded, how did the much-anticipated Hongyadong recover? It is reported that the first floor of Hongyadong has been basically cleaned up, and the second floor and above have been opened for business. In addition, lights have been resumed in the exterior core area at night.

The forklift was removing unusable wooden objects.

The first floor being cleared of mud and the second floor and above being open for business

At around 11:00 a.m., just after arriving at the entrance of the scenic area, the reporter saw that some tourists were taking pictures and many others were lining up to enter. Businesses on the second floor and above of Hongyadong are already open, and the first floor is still being cleaned up. As the elevator is not open, visitors entering the area from the ninth floor need to take the walking stairs to the other floors.

Going down the stairs to the second floor, the reporter saw that almost all the businesses on the second floor were already open for business. There were also a number of cabinets, tables, and other large items stacked in some of the open areas.

“Thankfully, the second floor was not flooded, and the damage wasn’t as great compared to the businesses on the first floor. There aren’t a lot of tourists yet as we’ve only just started business and the elevator isn’t open,” a clothing store owner said.

Crossing the cordon at the stairs, from the second floor to the first floor, the reporter found on the road between the shops, muddy water covered the backs of feet, while the shops were a mess: roofs, walls and signboards were all covered in a layer of yellow mud. Some merchants were washing the floors and walls of their stores with a hose.

There was still standing water on the first floor.

Impact: Vertical elevator and fire protection not yet restored; garage restores on Monday but only available for manual charges 

What is the status of the damage to the scenic area? What is the impact on tourists?

“The damage was truly significant, with the worst of the mud on the first floor being 1 meter deep.” Zhang Qi, General Manager of Chongqing Xiaotian’e Property Management Company, said that the first loss was the shutdown of elevators; the pit for all 8 elevators was on the negative second floor and was completely flooded, so it required technical overhaul and inspection. The escalator has been restored to the interior of Honggyadong, and the vertical elevator is still shut down. The distribution rooms on the first and negative floors were flooded, requiring replacement of parts and testing of transmission and distribution. The fire facilities are also in a state of disrepair and now taken over by a maintenance company.

Also, the garage’s smart parking system cannot work. The wires are badly damaged and it will take about three or four days to wire. “We have resumed parking in our garage on Monday, but please understand that our system is unable to automatically recognize license plate numbers as it did before and will need to charge you manually,” Zhang Qi said.

In addition, green plants were completely destroyed there; the newly renovated Hongyadong Tourist Reception Hall was also destroyed and needs to be rebuilt and renovated.

The mud from the first floor shops has been almost completely removed.

Touching: Solidary dredging to help speedy resumption of work in scenic area

As a tourist landmark in Chongqing, Hongyadong has also experienced that “when disaster struck, help came from all sides”.

Zhang Qi told the reporter that the dredging work of Hongyadong has been going on for seven days, and the government has given strong support in addition to the scenic area’s staff and merchants who have been active in disaster relief. Among them, Yuzhong District Urban Management Bureau and Daping Sub-district Militia Emergency Platoon helped the scenic area remove large pieces of garbage overnight; there were also volunteers from Chongqing Industry Polytechnic College, Jiefangbei Management Committee, Jiefangbei Sub-district and all walks of life who joined in the dredging work.

“In the past four days, about 35 truckloads of sludge have been hauled away.” Zhang Qi said that the goal is to have all cleanups done by next Monday, but it doesn’t mean that it will be open for business immediately. 

For the concern about the lighting in Hongyadong, Zhang Qi said that the core area has been lit; but other places will have to wait two months to be fully restored to their previous condition as they have not yet been energized. “We hope that tourists will be patient and Hongyadong will be restored as beautiful as ever, ” Zhang said. (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)