By Jiang Chuqin

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Hong Kong residents flocked to wet markets and supermarkets to stock up on food and other supplies on Monday ahead of the rapidly approaching Super Typhoon Ragasa, with one shopper comparing the rush with that seen during Lunar New Year.
From baked goods and fresh vegetables to poultry and meat, many shoppers were storing food to meet their needs for the whole week after the Hong Kong Observatory warned the storm would severely affect the city in the next two days.
At one bakery, located in the basement food court of the Sogo Department Store in Causeway Bay, more than 100 shoppers were queuing at the cashiers.
In the densely populated area of Sai Wan Ho, some shoppers told the Post it was one of the busiest days they had seen.
“You only see this many people sometimes during the Lunar New Year,” said Anny Pang, 67, as she wiped sweat from her brow after shopping at Mr Fresh on Shing On Street.
She bought more than 1kg (2lbs) of fresh vegetables including two cabbages, as well as five dragon fruits and four oranges. She said her stock would last until the weekend.
Pang added that she usually bought groceries on Wednesdays and Saturdays but decided to change her plan after reading the Observatory’s announcement.

The forecaster issued the No 1 typhoon warning at 12.20pm on Monday and was set to issue the No 3 strong wind signal at 9.40pm, as Ragasa approached the city.
As of 2pm, Ragasa, a Filipino word meaning rapid or fast motion, was crossing the Luzon Strait with maximum sustained winds near its centre of 230km/h (143mph).
Another shopper, Betty Ko, aged 60 and a resident of Chai Wan, said some shops in her neighbourhood had sold out all their stock before 9am.
“That is why we came to Sai Wan Ho to buy groceries, because there are more options,” said Ko, who only bought enough food for two days.
She also noticed that some vegetables were “slightly more expensive” than usual, although prices were still lower than in Chai Wan, where there were fewer grocery stores.
At a nearby supermarket, Irene Ng and her husband ended up buying only snacks because most fresh vegetables were already sold out.
“We came to the supermarket expecting it to be less crowded than the grocery stores,” Ng said. “But it was crazy to find that there were no vegetables left, and we only got some snacks.”

She added that she still had some food at home and planned to have hotpot if a No 8 signal or above was raised on Tuesday or Wednesday, when most shops and restaurants would be closed.
A check by the Post found that shelves for some fresh vegetables, including bak choy, choy sum and spinach, were already empty by about 11am on Monday. Only pre-packed salads and root vegetables such as pumpkins and potatoes remained in stock.