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LIFE> Travel
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In the eye of a storm
By He Na (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-05 09:40 A graduate of the Communication University of China, Chen's interest in typhoons originated from his early love of nature and geography. He first saw a satellite cloud picture in 2006 and began tracking the world's big meteorological bureaus, following updates on cloud pictures and live information and analyzing the data. "The process of tracking the path of a typhoon is just like watching a Hollywood blockbuster with a fascinating plot. I quite enjoy the feeling," he says. Pan Shengbo, although only 19, is also a senior member of the forum and has been tracking typhoons for the past 12 years. A native of Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, his childhood memories are filled with typhoons. "I still remember clearly the No 11 typhoon in 1997. The strong winds with heavy rains lasted a whole day. The next morning the entire town was submerged in more than 1-m deep water," he says. In the summer of 2000, a series of four big typhoons hit China's costal regions and Pan found himself drawn deeper into the study of this natural phenomenon. Listening to weather forecasts three times a day and reading everything he could on typhoons became a habit. "At that time, I did not have access to the Internet. I relied almost entirely on the Radio and TV. I drew up a bathymetric (measuring the depths of water bodies) chart of China's southeast coast with pencil and ruler, and often listened to the radio reports and made a mark on my own map," he says. His knowledge of typhoons improved dramatically after he joined the typhoon forum in 2004. "Although I cannot see the other members of the forum, I can sense their excitement. Tracking the path of a typhoon together online is a wonderful feeling," he says. He is also the weather forecaster for his class. "I dare not say I am totally right about typhoons, but I still think it is very necessary to tell others to be aware that a typhoon is on the way and take necessary precautions," he says. Niu Ruke is yet another typhoon chaser, but different from Chen and Pan in that he likes to do his work outdoors. Niu was born in Xiangshan, also in Zhejiang province. He has seen eight typhoons in 12 years as a typhoon tracker. "Taking the strong winds and feeling the power of nature is a very special experience. Of course, safety is always the first concern. I don't go out if the wind speed is too high," he says. Running against the wind after a typhoon lands is quite common and popular in many parts of the world, like the United States, but is still considered very strange in China. |
