https://www.scmp.com/rss/322936/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The long-range weather forecast for Hong Kong may seem like good news at first. The city’s weather experts have predicted four to seven typhoons between the months of June and October, or fewer than half the record-breaking 14 recorded last year. However, complacency could be dangerous. The Hong Kong Observatory also projects above normal temperatures under the influence of the warming El Nino weather phenomenon amid intensifying global climate challenges. Hong Kong Observatory director Chan... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3347836/community-preparation-key-hong-kong-braces-extreme-weather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3347836/community-preparation-key-hong-kong-braces-extreme-weather?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China should accelerate development of a space-based solar power station, as the technology could one day do far more than beam clean energy to Earth, it might even help tame typhoons, according to a senior Chinese engineer. Duan Baoyan, the lead scientist behind the ambitious “Zhuri” project – which aims to hold a megawatt-class demonstration in the Earth’s orbit by 2030 – said microwave beams generated by such a station to transmit electricity back to Earth could potentially be directed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345240/change-typhoon-intensity-and-path-china-team-mulls-hitting-cyclones-space-beam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345240/change-typhoon-intensity-and-path-china-team-mulls-hitting-cyclones-space-beam?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:00:10 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Relatives, colleagues and residents gathered in a county in central China on the weekend to pay tribute to six firefighters who died after putting out a blaze during the Chinese New Year holidays. The firefighters were killed on Thursday afternoon when their truck ran off a cliff in Xinhua county, Hunan province, as they were returning from extinguishing a house fire in the hills. A seventh firefighter in the truck was injured and transferred to a hospital in the capital city of Changsha that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344251/tributes-paid-6-firefighters-killed-central-china-after-truck-veers-cliff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344251/tributes-paid-6-firefighters-killed-central-china-after-truck-veers-cliff?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 09:30:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Twelve people were killed in an explosion at a fireworks shop in Hubei in central China on Wednesday, just days after eight people died in a similar incident in a nearby province. The accident happened just before 2.30pm on the second day of Lunar New Year in Zhengji township in the city of Xiangyang, state news agency Xinhua reported. The report added that the subsequent fire spread across the premises and was put out within an hour. An investigation into the cause is under way. The explosion... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3343931/12-killed-chinas-second-deadly-lunar-new-year-firework-explosion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3343931/12-killed-chinas-second-deadly-lunar-new-year-firework-explosion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:15:02 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The Ministry of Emergency Management has warned officials of the urgent need to prevent a repeat of the fireworks explosion that killed eight people in Jiangsu province, eastern China, on Sunday, the start of the country’s nine-day Lunar New Year holiday. The ministry convened an emergency meeting following the blast at a fireworks shop in Dongan village in Donghai county, which happened after a villager “improperly set off fireworks near the store”. According to state broadcaster CCTV, two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3343684/8-dead-fireworks-shop-blast-start-chinas-lunar-new-year-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3343684/8-dead-fireworks-shop-blast-start-chinas-lunar-new-year-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 04:16:00 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Eight people have been confirmed dead in a blast at a biotechnology factory in central China early on Saturday. The explosion ripped through a workshop in Shanyin county, Shanxi province, operated by Jiapeng Biotechnology, a company involved in bio-feed, coal and related products, building materials, and paint manufacturing. The county government said the rescue operation had concluded and the company’s legal representative had been taken into police custody. Officials from Shuozhou, the city... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3342811/8-dead-biotech-workshop-blast-central-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3342811/8-dead-biotech-workshop-blast-central-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang The sudden and catastrophic collapse at a major bridge construction site in China’s eastern Jiangsu province has left five workers dead, after the bodies of three missing people were recovered on Tuesday morning. At 5.46pm on Monday, a significant section of the under-construction Yuegang Bridge collapsed in Yancheng City’s Xiangshui County when the main span – measuring 95 metres (312 feet) – of the unfinished bridge suddenly gave way. Two people pulled from the wreckage with severe injuries... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342177/unfinished-bridge-collapses-eastern-china-leaving-2-dead-and-others-missing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342177/unfinished-bridge-collapses-eastern-china-leaving-2-dead-and-others-missing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 03:08:54 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei The death toll from an explosion at a rare earth steel plant in north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region has risen to nine. The explosion occurred at 3pm on Sunday at the Baotou Steel Group’s rare earth steel plant in Baotou, according to the city government. As of Tuesday, the accident has injured 84 people, killed nine and left one person missing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The Ministry of Emergency Management sent a working group led by Vice-Minister Song Yuanming to the scene... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3340592/death-toll-rises-9-after-explosion-north-china-rare-earth-steel-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3340592/death-toll-rises-9-after-explosion-north-china-rare-earth-steel-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:40:53 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang In the daytime the temperature in northern China often stays below freezing, but for many rural villagers the prohibitive cost of heating means that they have little choice but to endure the cold. “We dare not turn on the heating during the day,” one woman from Guan county in Hebei named Wang said. The 75-year-old’s home is around 70km (43 miles) from the centre of Beijing, but running the heating all day would cost between 60 and 90 yuan (US$8-13), an expense that could soar over the course of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339631/north-china-farmers-pay-heavy-price-winter-beijings-clean-air-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339631/north-china-farmers-pay-heavy-price-winter-beijings-clean-air-success?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 01:00:16 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang Chinese authorities have again stressed that hiking on the deadly Aotai Line in northwest China is illegal after three more people died on what Chinese media have described as the country’s “most dangerous hiking route”. “It is strictly forbidden to conduct unauthorised hiking traverses and similar activities [on the Aotai trail],” the General Administration of Sport’s mountaineering management centre said in a notice on Friday. “Recently, five individuals undertook an unauthorised crossing of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3339504/strictly-forbidden-china-warns-hikers-aotai-line-after-3-die-infamous-trail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3339504/strictly-forbidden-china-warns-hikers-aotai-line-after-3-die-infamous-trail?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 11:45:03 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao The conviction of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying in a high-profile Hong Kong trial has drawn sharp reactions in London, casting uncertainty over thawing Sino-British ties before Keir Starmer visits China. Although the outcome of Lai’s 156-day national security trial was widely expected, observers say it poses a significant test for the Labour government’s balancing act on China, which could narrow the space for engagement even if its immediate impact on bilateral relations is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336815/how-will-jimmy-lais-conviction-affect-china-uk-ties-and-keir-starmers-planned-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336815/how-will-jimmy-lais-conviction-affect-china-uk-ties-and-keir-starmers-planned-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:25 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A 13-year-old girl in China has been dubbed a “little hero” after risking her life to save a four-year-old boy who fell into a frozen lake. The incident unfolded on December 6, in a park in Tongxin county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwestern China. The boy was playing on the surface of the frozen lake when he suddenly plunged into a hole, the Jimu News reported. As his anxious and terrified mother stood on the bank waiting for rescue crews to arrive, a young girl approached her and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3335719/china-teen-girl-risks-life-save-boy-icy-lake-tells-dad-wet-clothes-are-watering-cart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3335719/china-teen-girl-risks-life-save-boy-icy-lake-tells-dad-wet-clothes-are-watering-cart?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 01:00:12 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang At least 12 people have died in a fire at a residential building in southern China, the first major incident of its kind in the mainland since last month’s Hong Kong blaze. The fire broke out at around 9.20pm on Tuesday in Shantou in Guangdong province and was put out about 40 minutes later, according to state news agency Xinhua. The building was a four-storey reinforced concrete structure and about 150 square metres (1,600 sq ft) were affected by the fire, local authorities said. On Wednesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335868/12-killed-after-fire-hits-residential-building-southern-chinas-shantou-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335868/12-killed-after-fire-hits-residential-building-southern-chinas-shantou-city?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng The renowned Chinese-born architect Wang Fei has died at the age of 45 following an accident in London. The China Academy of Art, where he had worked as a visiting professor between 2009 and 2011, confirmed that Wang, who taught at Syracuse University in New York state, had died on Monday. Some friends and colleagues leaving tributes online suggested that Wang had been killed in a car accident. Li Lexian, an architectural designer, wrote on social media that Wang had died at the Royal London... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335794/chinese-born-architect-wang-fei-dies-suspected-car-crash-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335794/chinese-born-architect-wang-fei-dies-suspected-car-crash-london?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:00:49 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei A Chinese court has ordered Malaysia Airlines to pay over 2.9 million yuan (US$410,240) per victim to family members who filed suit over missing flight MH370, 11 years after it disappeared over the Indian Ocean, state broadcaster CCTV said on Monday. The order, issued on Friday by the Chaoyang District People’s Court in Beijing, covers eight missing passengers. It is the first formal compensation ruling by a Chinese court on flight MH370. It includes death compensation, funeral expenses and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335653/chinese-court-orders-malaysia-airlines-pay-families-8-missing-mh370-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335653/chinese-court-orders-malaysia-airlines-pay-families-8-missing-mh370-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:19:12 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A Chinese woman who was unexpectedly reunited with the man who rescued her from the rubble of an earthquake more than 10 years ago when she was 11 has tied the knot with him. The story was revealed on November 29, in Changsha, Hunan province, in southern China, during the 5th Annual Han-style Collective Wedding Ceremony, where 37 couples gathered to wed. The special couple, Liang Zhibin, who is 12 years older than his bride Liu Ximei, shared a love story that began over 15 years ago. In 2008,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334902/china-woman-marries-rescuer-who-plucked-her-under-quake-rubble-when-she-was-11?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334902/china-woman-marries-rescuer-who-plucked-her-under-quake-rubble-when-she-was-11?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A woman in central China, who borrowed one million yuan (US$140,000) to treat her daughter-in-law, has captured the hearts of millions on social media through her unwavering dedication. For the past five years, she has been providing round-the-clock care for her daughter-in-law, Yuanyuan, who fell into a vegetative state after being struck by a car on June 25, 2020. Yuanyuan suffered severe injuries to her head, face, arms, and pelvis, along with multiple bone fractures. Following a craniotomy,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3335422/china-mum-cares-daughter-law-vegetative-state-borrows-us140000-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3335422/china-mum-cares-daughter-law-vegetative-state-borrows-us140000-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 10:00:15 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen A 7.5 billion yuan (US$1.06 billion) hydroelectric project in southeastern China is under investigation for alleged corner-cutting and legal violations, prompting concerns among experts about serious safety issues and a demand for answers from state media. The Yongan power station in Fujian province is a priority project under the national pumped-storage development goals of the five-year plan covering 2021 to 2025, aimed at safeguarding regional power stability and taking forward the green... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334780/scandal-hits-yongan-hydro-construction-project-china-media-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334780/scandal-hits-yongan-hydro-construction-project-china-media-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 09:57:10 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang A district in China’s northern city of Tianjin, the site of one of the country’s worst industrial disasters a decade ago, has launched a comprehensive fire hazard inspection campaign. The drive by the Binhai New Area district comes days after a catastrophic high-rise blaze in Hong Kong claimed more than 120 lives. District officials attending a fire safety meeting on Saturday were shown footage and a preliminary report from the blaze in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, which took firefighters more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334667/blast-scarred-district-tianjin-takes-profound-lessons-deadly-hong-kong-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334667/blast-scarred-district-tianjin-takes-profound-lessons-deadly-hong-kong-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:03:25 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang A local government official in northeast China has been accused of covering up a fishing boat accident and preventing the vessel’s owner from calling the police for help, in an incident that led to the exposure of a series of corruption cases related to fishing industry safety. The accident took place on November 10. A boat registered in Yingkou, Liaoning province, capsized while crew members were fishing, causing 11 to fall into the water. Two were rescued and nine were reported missing,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334455/deadly-boat-accident-cover-reveals-corruption-chinas-fishing-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334455/deadly-boat-accident-cover-reveals-corruption-chinas-fishing-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:00:16 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng A test train crashed into railway workers in China’s southwestern Yunnan province early on Thursday morning, killing 11 people and injuring two, state media said. The test train No 55537, which was used to test seismic equipment, collided with construction workers entering the railway line on a curve at Luoyangzhen Station in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Railway and local government authorities immediately activated their emergency response to manage... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334310/11-killed-2-hurt-after-test-train-crashes-workers-southwestern-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334310/11-killed-2-hurt-after-test-train-crashes-workers-southwestern-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 04:29:13 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Five Chinese nationals were killed and eight others injured in a car crash in Bali, according to China’s consulate on the Indonesian island on Friday. The accident happened in northern Bali’s Buleleng regency, the consulate said in a statement. The Indonesian driver sustained minor injuries, it added. The 13 Chinese citizens were travelling in a minibus to Bali’s northern side when the driver lost control of the vehicle, veering off the road into a garden and striking a tree, according to Ida... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332851/5-chinese-nationals-killed-8-others-injured-bali-car-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332851/5-chinese-nationals-killed-8-others-injured-bali-car-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:45:39 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen A section of a newly opened bridge collapsed in a mountainous area of Sichuan province in southwestern China on Tuesday, with no casualties reported. Videos circulating on social media showed part of the Shuangjiangkou Hongqi Bridge over a river in the city of Maerkang give way, unleashing a thick cloud of dust and debris. The bridge was completed in January this year but officials denied that the collapse was a result of poor construction. Authorities in Maerkang and the wider Aba Tibetan and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332541/section-new-bridge-chinas-sichuan-province-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332541/section-new-bridge-chinas-sichuan-province-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 14:08:45 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu An 18-year-old Chinese student has been hailed as “underpants man” after he rescued an elderly couple from a fire wearing only his briefs. Senior pupil, Zhu Ye, at the Tongliang No 2 Secondary School in southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality, discovered that his neighbour’s flat was on fire on the evening of October 16. With no time to put on clothes, he rushed to the flat in his underpants and found an elderly couple inside. It turned out that the old man was charging his electric... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3331443/china-underpants-man-gains-fame-rescuing-elderly-neighbours-fire-undies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3331443/china-underpants-man-gains-fame-rescuing-elderly-neighbours-fire-undies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 01:00:11 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Shanghai is sinking while the world’s sea levels are rising fast – the fastest in 4,000 years – possibly threatening the Chinese financial hub and the global supply chain, scientists warn in a new study. China faces a double threat from rising seas, according to the multinational team, as many of its largest and most economically important cities are concentrated in delta regions – flat lands close to water that were ideal for urban development but remain extremely vulnerable to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329369/double-whammy-shanghai-sinking-while-sea-level-rises-fast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329369/double-whammy-shanghai-sinking-while-sea-level-rises-fast?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 06:49:34 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial October is peak season on the slopes of Mount Everest and surrounding regions. Relatively mild temperatures and clear skies are more likely. They attract climbers and tourists in their thousands, from the experienced to the less seasoned or even novice mountaineers. However, the weather can still be unpredictable. An exception to the norm can be devastating, even deadly. An example is a blizzard that suddenly struck Tibet and Qinghai during the “golden week” national holiday, surprising even the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3328345/everest-rescue-shows-danger-taking-risks-social-media-glory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3328345/everest-rescue-shows-danger-taking-risks-social-media-glory?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 23:15:20 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang Hundreds of trekkers have reached safety after being stranded near the eastern slope of Mount Everest by heavy snowfalls, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. CCTV reported on Tuesday night that 580 trekkers and more than 300 local guides and yak porters had “safely reached” a relocation point in Qudang in the Tibet autonomous region, and arrangements were being made for them to return home. A further dozen hikers, helped by rescue personnel sent from Tingri county, had reached a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328202/800-more-trekkers-guides-and-porters-rescued-after-being-stranded-everest-blizzard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328202/800-more-trekkers-guides-and-porters-rescued-after-being-stranded-everest-blizzard?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 05:31:50 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng One person has been reported dead in the wake of the sudden blizzard that engulfed Tibet and Qinghai over the weekend, as rescuers continue to evacuate hundreds of hikers from the eastern slopes of Mount Everest, according to official media. At noon on Monday, state broadcaster CCTV said that one hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness on Sunday in the Laohugou area of Qinghai province’s Haibei prefecture. As of Monday morning, 137 hikers had been safely evacuated from the area – known... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327987/1-dead-qinghai-hundreds-evacuated-chinas-rescue-everest-area-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327987/1-dead-qinghai-hundreds-evacuated-chinas-rescue-everest-area-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 07:02:58 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma China set aside 200 million yuan (US$28 million) in recovery aid for Guangdong and Hainan provinces as Typhoon Matmo made landfall on Sunday afternoon. Earlier on Sunday, authorities in Guangdong relocated more than 150,000 residents and Hainan suspended rail services across the island province. By late Sunday afternoon, transport in Haikou, Hainan’s capital, was gradually resuming. The National Meteorological Centre said in the morning that Matmo had strengthened into a severe typhoon and was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327907/chinas-southern-provinces-brace-typhoon-matmo-more-150000-residents-relocate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327907/chinas-southern-provinces-brace-typhoon-matmo-more-150000-residents-relocate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 05:48:49 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Super Typhoon Ragasa may have been the biggest storm of its kind in the world this year, but when it made landfall in mainland China last month, it left no fatalities in its wake. Rewind to 2018 when Mangkhut, the last super typhoon to hit Guangdong province, struck and at least four people were killed in southern China. Typhoon Hato also left nine dead in Guangdong in 2017, and Typhoon Fanapi caused 34 deaths in the coastal province in 2010. The contrast is even sharper when compared with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327644/how-china-was-ready-super-typhoon-ragasa-and-what-still-needs-be-done?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327644/how-china-was-ready-super-typhoon-ragasa-and-what-still-needs-be-done?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:00:29 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese man who forgot to turn off the gas stove at home only remembered it while he was on a flight, but fortunately, the flight crew acted swiftly to avert a potential disaster. The passenger, identified as Wang, on a Spring Airlines flight from Shanghai to Singapore urgently sought assistance from the crew members mid-air, as reported by the Shanghai media outlet Xinmin Evening News recently. Wang recounted that before leaving home, he had forgotten to turn off the stove. By the time he... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326354/captain-alerts-ground-staff-avert-disaster-after-china-traveller-recalls-home-stove-left?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326354/captain-alerts-ground-staff-avert-disaster-after-china-traveller-recalls-home-stove-left?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 08:00:12 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei The southern Chinese city of Sanya suspended all flights and neighbouring Haikou closed its port as Hainan Island braced for the arrival of Typhoon Bualoi on Sunday. Bualoi, coming close on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa, was expected to skim the island and make landfall in Vietnam later in the day. By 10am, the typhoon’s centre was about 160km (99 miles) from Sanya and most of Hainan Island was within the typhoon’s seventh-level wind zone of 50-61km/h (31-38mph), according to the China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327132/chinas-hainan-island-braces-typhoon-sanya-suspends-flights-and-haikou-closes-port?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327132/chinas-hainan-island-braces-typhoon-sanya-suspends-flights-and-haikou-closes-port?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A woman from southeastern China was miraculously rescued after accidentally falling into an abandoned well, where she clung desperately to the side for 54 hours, battling exhaustion, relentless mosquitoes, and even bites from water snakes. The incident unfolded on September 13, when the 48-year-old woman, surnamed Qin, was out for a leisurely stroll in the woods of Quanzhou, Fujian province, before unexpectedly tumbling into the deep well. Her family quickly noticed her disappearance, and after... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326349/china-woman-falls-old-well-circled-snakes-clings-wall-54-hours-rescue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326349/china-woman-falls-old-well-circled-snakes-clings-wall-54-hours-rescue?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 01:00:12 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck China’s northwestern Gansu province on Saturday morning, injuring at least 11 people and prompting the urgent evacuation of nearly 8,000 residents as emergency crews responded to the disaster. Rescue teams said 17 houses had collapsed and close to 4,000 others had been damaged, according to state broadcaster CCTV. There are no reports of any fatalities. According to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, central authorities have activated a level-four... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327072/gansu-province-hit-56-magnitude-earthquake-injuring-least-6-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327072/gansu-province-hit-56-magnitude-earthquake-injuring-least-6-people?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 04:08:13 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Workers in Guangdong province in southern China were still trying to restore communication networks and transport to several islands on Friday after the area was battered by Super Typhoon Ragasa. Ragasa made landfall in Yangjiang, western Guangdong, about 5pm on Wednesday, bringing torrential rain and strong winds that caused flooding and transport disruptions across cities in the province. The storm’s record strength delivered sustained wind speeds of up to 265km/h (165 mph) on Monday, making... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326964/super-typhoon-ragasa-workers-southern-china-move-restore-communications-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326964/super-typhoon-ragasa-workers-southern-china-move-restore-communications-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:46:11 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A 27-year-old model and make-up artist who was disfigured in a gas explosion has transformed herself into an influencer who shares her experience of recovery online. Inspirational Tong Shiyao, from northeastern China’s Liaoning province, has moved many people on social media. On the night of March 31, her father lit a cigarette at home, and leaking gas triggered an explosion that destroyed their home and severely injured the whole family. Tong suffered second-degree burns that affected 14 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3325873/chinese-woman-second-degree-burns-home-gas-blast-cares-severely-burned-parents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3325873/chinese-woman-second-degree-burns-home-gas-blast-cares-severely-burned-parents?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:00:11 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei The southern Chinese province of Guangdong was mopping up on Thursday after a battering from Ragasa, a super typhoon that has since weakened into a tropical storm. Ragasa made landfall at Yangjiang, in western Guangdong, at around 5pm on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that caused flooding and disrupted transport in cities across the province. Despite the storm’s record strength – it became the world’s strongest typhoon so far this year with sustained wind speeds of up to 265km/h... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326846/southern-china-cleans-after-lashing-super-typhoon-ragasa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326846/southern-china-cleans-after-lashing-super-typhoon-ragasa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:19:55 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters Hong Kong is gradually returning to normality after Super Typhoon Ragasa paralysed the city for nearly two days, with authorities racing to clear 1,200 toppled trees and a backlog of 1,000 flights that affected 140,000 passengers. The deadly super typhoon, which triggered the highest-level No 10 hurricane warning for nearly 11 hours, edged as close as about 100km (62 miles) to the south of Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, disrupting work and transport services and forcing the suspension of school... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3326734/hong-kong-back-action-after-super-typhoon-ragasa-paralyses-city-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3326734/hong-kong-back-action-after-super-typhoon-ragasa-paralyses-city-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:16:57 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,He Huifeng Phoebe Zhang,He Huifeng Major cities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong appeared to have escaped largely intact from Super Typhoon Ragasa with no casualties reported as of Wednesday afternoon. The city of Shenzhen reported wind speeds of around 200km/h (120mph) – higher than 2018’s Super Typhoon Mangkhut – but as the storm moved west across the province later in the day, these slackened to around 145km/h as it made landfall near the city of Yangjiang, where some residents reported that power and water... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326723/chinas-guangdong-province-appears-escape-worst-damage-super-typhoon-ragasa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326723/chinas-guangdong-province-appears-escape-worst-damage-super-typhoon-ragasa?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:10:44 +0000 Alice Li,He Huifeng Alice Li,He Huifeng Tech industry worker Zhou Keyi has lived in Shenzhen for three years but had never heard such a roar from a typhoon. “I was woken up by the sound of the wind at around 3am on Wednesday – it felt like it was roaring,” Zhou said on Wednesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa hit southern China, battering the region. “The window next to my bed shook as the storm swept past, which made me feel a little scared.” While no deaths had been reported in the southern tech hub as of Wednesday afternoon, the storm’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326713/it-felt-it-was-roaring-super-typhoon-ragasa-shakes-shenzhen-awake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326713/it-felt-it-was-roaring-super-typhoon-ragasa-shakes-shenzhen-awake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 10:56:09 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed Hong Kong and southern China on Wednesday, shuttering activity in the Greater Bay Area and forcing the region’s 86 million inhabitants to seek shelter from the intense rain and destructive winds. The typhoon, with hurricane-force winds as high as 220 km/h (137 mph), forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. More than 371,000 people were evacuated across Guangdong, and helicopters, drones, 23 ships and 38,000 firefighters were... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326661/super-typhoon-ragasa-batters-china-trump-slams-climate-con-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326661/super-typhoon-ragasa-batters-china-trump-slams-climate-con-job?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 09:00:14 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung A township in eastern Taiwan was struggling to come to terms on Wednesday with the devastation of a deadly torrent triggered by Super Typhoon Ragasa. At least 17 people died when the typhoon burst the banks of a mountain lake formed by a landslide two months ago, tearing through Guangfu township in Hualien county on Tuesday. The deluge has not only devastated entire neighbourhoods in Guangfu, it threatens to become a political issue for the administration of Taiwanese leader William Lai... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326676/14-dead-and-dozens-missing-taiwan-after-ragasa-triggers-landslide-lake-flood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326676/14-dead-and-dozens-missing-taiwan-after-ragasa-triggers-landslide-lake-flood?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:30:01 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi When heavy rains raged across northern China this summer, Datong, a city in Shanxi province perhaps best known as the home of the Yungang Grottoes World Heritage site, escaped disaster despite almost 20 hours of upstream flood discharges. Residents said it was saved thanks to the work of former mayor Geng Yanbo, who spearheaded a project to widen the city’s main waterway and reinforce its banks during his time in office more than 15 years ago. “So many people were forced to relocate because of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3326621/what-lessons-can-china-learn-northern-citys-flood-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3326621/what-lessons-can-china-learn-northern-citys-flood-response?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 04:00:36 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,Alice Li,He Huifeng,Coco Feng Phoebe Zhang,Alice Li,He Huifeng,Coco Feng This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing now for 50 per cent off during our two-day flash sale. In southern China, Super Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful typhoon to hit the region in recent years, made itself felt in the Pearl River Delta before midday on Wednesday as the typhoon moved closer to making landfall, according to the National Meteorological Centre. In Taiwan, 14 people were confirmed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326612/super-typhoon-ragasa-southern-china-braces-full-force-storm-due-cross-coast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326612/super-typhoon-ragasa-southern-china-braces-full-force-storm-due-cross-coast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 01:08:55 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li As Super Typhoon Ragasa barrels down on southern China, the country’s tech and manufacturing hub has gone into emergency lockdown mode. With the highest alert level declared, officials in Shenzhen – the southern manufacturing powerhouse with a reputation as China’s Silicon Valley – sounded the alarm for “wartime readiness”. Residents responded by scrambling to stockpile supplies, boarding up or taping windows, and bracing for what forecasters are saying could be one of the most ferocious storms... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3326584/wartime-readiness-shenzhen-scrambles-super-typhoon-ragasa-nears-chinas-tech-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3326584/wartime-readiness-shenzhen-scrambles-super-typhoon-ragasa-nears-chinas-tech-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:30:08 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,He Huifeng Phoebe Zhang,He Huifeng The global manufacturing centre of Guangdong in southern China has come to a halt as people brace for the most powerful typhoon to hit the region in recent years. On Tuesday morning, the province upgraded its typhoon alert to Level 1, the highest in a four-tier warning system, as officials declared “combat-ready” status in preparation for Super Typhoon Ragasa. More than 10 cities, including the technology hub Shenzhen, have announced the closure of all markets, schools, factories and transport... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326491/super-typhoon-ragasa-food-hoarding-transport-suspended-guangdong-braces-worst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326491/super-typhoon-ragasa-food-hoarding-transport-suspended-guangdong-braces-worst?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 06:16:15 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Cities in China’s southern provinces are bracing for Ragasa, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, with Shenzhen warning of “disastrous calamities” ahead and preparing to relocate hundreds of thousands of people. The National Meteorological Centre said on Sunday that Ragasa, the 18th typhoon this year, had intensified into a super typhoon on Sunday morning and was expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to wide areas of the country’s southern and eastern regions. It is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326357/super-typhoon-ragasa-china-braces-disaster-shenzhen-set-evacuate-400000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326357/super-typhoon-ragasa-china-braces-disaster-shenzhen-set-evacuate-400000?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 06:19:55 +0000 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer Around 600 Hong Kong swimmers took part in the Cross Tolo Harbour Open Race on Sunday, despite amber rainstorm and thunderstorm warning signals being raised. The Hong Kong Observatory had raised the thunderstorm warning at 11.15pm on Saturday, and stated explicitly that people should not swim outdoors. The open-water race’s organisers, the Tai Po Sports Association, were adamant that the warning had not been issued, and chairman Henry Choi Kam-kong said that if that had been the case, the event... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3326308/do-not-swim-hong-kong-observatory-says-tolo-harbour-race-goes-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3326308/do-not-swim-hong-kong-observatory-says-tolo-harbour-race-goes-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:21:47 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan Two young siblings in southwestern China tragically lost their lives after being stung hundreds of times by wasps, leading to the detention of the farmer raising the bees on charges of negligent homicide. This shocking event occurred on June 28 in a village in Muding county, Yunnan province, where a seven-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister were attacked by swarms of wasps, as reported by the news portal The Paper. The children were typically cared for by their grandparents while their... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3325063/china-siblings-killed-wasps-boy-has-300-stings-girl-has-700-beekeeper-faces-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3325063/china-siblings-killed-wasps-boy-has-300-stings-girl-has-700-beekeeper-faces-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen A routine China Southern Airlines flight from Guangdong province on Monday evening turned into a “terrifying” ordeal for passengers as the plane encountered severe turbulence, forcing it to be diverted. The plane was flying from Zhuhai to the city of Taiyuan in Shanxi province when it was diverted to Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport in Hebei province “due to thunderstorms” in Taiyuan, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. “Many passengers were screaming,” a passenger surnamed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325031/i-was-terrified-passengers-recount-turbulence-forced-china-flight-divert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325031/i-was-terrified-passengers-recount-turbulence-forced-china-flight-divert?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:00:40 +0000