HAIKOU /China/, August 29. /TASS/. Russian tourists joined the relief effort following Tropical Storm Kajiki that hit the resort city of Sanya in China’s southernmost province of Hainan at the end of last week, a local propaganda department at the city’s party committee told TASS.

Russians volunteered to help municipal authorities, by "adding warm energy" to the work of getting city streets back in order. Jointly with employees of relevant agencies near Dadonghai Square, they helped remove debris caused by powerful winds that broke the trees and left much rubble in its wake.

A Russian volunteer, Kristina, said she, too, wanted to join efforts to return life in the resort city back to normal. She expressed hope that she will visit Sanya next time.

"I particularly like Sanya in the fall. We witnessed the devastating impact of the typhoon on the city and the consequences it caused, too," Marta, a Russian guide, recounted. "We learned that volunteers are wanted for the relief effort in Dadonghai, a tourist site, and volunteered to help, to make our humble contribution to restoring the beautiful city of Sanya." After many hours of joint efforts, order was restored to the streets of Sanya. So, these efforts played a key role in helping the city withstand the onslaught of the natural disaster.

Alexey, a Russian tourist, said he feared that the storm would disrupt electricity and water supply, cause major damage to local tourist sites, and negatively affect tourist programs. "But I simply could not imagine that it would take that fast to clean and repair the city," the Russian citizen added. "Our fears proved completely unfounded. And seeing Sanya repaired gives us much joy," he shared.

Sanya is China’s leading resort city with a population of more than 1 million people. Official estimates show that, in 2024, its gross domestic product grew by 5% to more than 100 billion yuan (around $14 billion). The average air temperatures in the city reach 25.4 degrees Celsius, and it has a 260-kilometer-long coast line. There are 19 bays and around 40 tourist-friendly islands off the city. All this allows the local administration to successfully develop yachting, and cruise tourism as well as beach and family holiday programs.