Apartment windows shattered by the blasts in Tianjin. (Photo : Reuters)
Numerous reports highlight Tianjin residents' struggle to return to daily life after the notorious warehouse blasts that took over a hundred lives and caused more than $1 billion in damages.
Residents like Zhang Wei, a pseudonym, are still traumatized by the disaster, causing their lives to remain at a standstill.
Zhang, a 53-year-old middle-school teacher in Tianjin's Binhai District, will not be teaching when school begins in September, citing mental trauma that has rendered him unable to work. The blasts from the disaster also shattered furniture and windows in his apartment.
"My heart pounds every time I hear a loud sound and the last thing I want to do is to recall that night," said Zhang.
Zhang is currently seeking compensation from the parties responsible.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, China's official press agency, 17,000 households, 1,700 enterprises and 675 commercial establishments have been affected by the blasts. Even worse, the disaster has taken 145 lives, with 28 people still missing.
The influence of the explosions have affected more than just individuals. Several events have been cancelled due to the blasts.
On Aug. 25, organizers of Tianjin's Pacific Links China Championship announced that they are cancelling the tournament out of respect for those grieving.
The Irish tap dancing show "Heartbeat of Home" also decided to cancel their show in Tianjin Grand Theater. The group has decided not to hold any performances in Tianjin during their Chinese tour.
The explosions have also had a huge impact on Tianjin's property market.
According to fang.com, a property website, the number of property transactions in Binhai District from Aug. 10 to 16 went down by a third compared with the same time last year.
Zhang Dawei, marketing executive of real estate firm Central Property, said that real estate losses in Binhai possibly amount to more than 1 billion yuan.
Tianjin port, the fourth-largest port in the world and a key gateway for importing goods to China, has also been compromised.
The daily container volume traded through the port dropped by thousands compared to the average 14,000 containers in the days before the blasts, according to Zhang Peng, an employee from Tianjin Five Continents International Container Terminal.
The terminal is 8 kilometers away from the blast area. It was damaged but operation returned to normal on Aug. 13.
"Economic activity in Tianjin has yet to return to normal several days after the devastating explosions there," said reseach firm Capital Economics in a note to its clients. "While most of the port has remained in operation, damage to warehousing and factory facilities has been severe."
