disasters

Cities on High Alert as Historic Rainfall Batters South China

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

As the region anticipates continued heavy rains, officials emphasize preparedness to combat potential floods and landslides.

Zhu Junxi

After String of Gas Explosions, China Updates Safety Guidelines

In the first half of 2023, 294 gas explosion incidents led to 57 fatalities and 190 injuries, with over half attributed to liquefied petroleum gas.

He Qitong

As the Floods Continue, Another Casualty Emerges: Millions of Books 

Major publishers and booksellers are reeling after their warehouses in the small city of Zhuozhou, around 100 kilometers from Beijing, were hit by extreme floods. Book lovers are offering their financial support, but the losses may be too much for some to survive.

Ding Rui

The Human Toll of North China’s Historic Floods

For residents in rural parts of northern China, the scale of the impact of the historic flooding on their lives and livelihoods cannot easily be explained. From missing loved ones to tales of survival, here are some of their stories.

Yang Caini

Severe Flooding Continues to Rock Northeastern China, Leaving 14 More Dead 

After hitting Beijing and Hebei, Typhoon Doksuri is now devastating Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, resulting in widespread destruction to farmland and homes.

China Floods: What Is the Cause and Why Has Rescue Been So Difficult? 

Sixth Tone’s News Team answers the key questions about what’s happened.

Li Xin

After the Rains, Beijing Residents Begin Counting Their Losses 

In Beijing’s districts hit hardest by the unprecedented rainfall of the last few days, residents say they were unprepared for the scale of the floods that they saw.

Collage: Floods in Beijing and Hebei

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Unprecedented rainfall in northern China has destroyed vehicles, damaged infrastructure, and wreaked havoc on people’s lives.

Tse Man

Rescue Teams Struggle to Reach Isolated Areas in Flood-Hit Hebei

Remnants of Typhoon Doksuri have caused havoc in western parts of the province, leaving nine dead, six missing, and impacting over 540,000 residents.

Ye Zhanhang

Gym Roof Collapse Shakes Chinese City, Leaving Thousands in Mourning

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Friends of victims, rescuers, and construction industry insiders come together to recount the worst tragedy that the northeastern Chinese city has experienced in years.

The Paper

Gas Explosion in Northwest China Restaurant Leaves 31 Dead

Nine, including restaurant’s owner, detained; President Xi Jinping orders nationwide safety campaign.

Chinese Teams in Turkey: Rescue Over but Relief Will Take Years

A group of volunteers from Zhejiang returned to China after a weeklong rescue effort in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey.

Chasing China’s Perfect Storms 

Getting the perfect shot is about more than luck. It takes guts.

Brutal Winter Freezes Livestock, Traps Herders in Northwest China 

At least seven people have died, as Xinjiang region issues a red alert for cold wave for the first time in 14 years.

Luo Meihan

Atop a Lonely Sichuan Mountain, Grit, Hope, and Survival

A devastating earthquake in Sichuan left several workers at a hydropower plant stranded for days.

Hunan Shuts Access to Forest Areas to Prevent More Wildfires 

The province is battling to contain a massive blaze that killed two firefighters.

Shanghai’s Forgotten Children

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

When a deadly famine struck China in the early 1960s, the city evacuated thousands of children to remote herding communities in Inner Mongolia. Six decades later, they’re still there.

Li Yijuan

Ni Dandan

27 Killed as Bus Taking People to COVID Quarantine Crashes in China

The bus carrying 45 passengers was on the road in the early hours of the morning despite being prohibited to do so by national laws.

Powerful Sichuan Quake Leaves a Trail of Deaths and Destruction 

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday has killed dozens, and rescuers are working to locate the missing.

Volunteers Band Together to Help Battle Wildfires in Chongqing 

The recent heat waves have sparked multiple forest fires in the city’s mountainous areas.