On a final note, train attendants grabbed microphones to stage their own gala for passengers travelling from Wuhan to Shiyan in central Hubei province on New Year's Eve.

BBC: China media: New Year haze

Swire also hosts beauty classes, helping new female workers like 22-year-old Wan Xu, who recently graduated from hospitality school in China's central Hubei province, learn how to use make up and fix their hair.

WSJ: China's Fickle Talent Pool

An old lady who fled the floods in Hubei says she gets most of her food from soldiers.

CNN: DISPATCHES FROM FLOOD COUNTRY

"They dare not sell Hunan rice, " the executive said, adding that the market is now selling rice produced in the provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi, Henan and in northeastern areas, together with some imported rice from Vietnam and Pakistan.

WSJ: China Seeks to Calm Anxiety Over Rice