Zhang Guilan, a villager in her 80s, said she was satisfied with the food and living conditions at her nursing home.

"I had a chicken drumstick, cabbage and a bowl of seaweed soup for dinner," Zhang said. "The room I'm living in has a TV, clean bedclothes and bathtub safety rails. The food here is even better than what I had at home."

Zhang said she had witnessed how Nanjing's flood defenses were built and that she had confidence that they would protect the city.

Since 2016, Nanjing has invested more than 8 billion yuan ($1.14 billion) to reinforce its flood defenses, including the 200-km levee along the Yangtze's main stream.