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Estimates say it killed 830,000 people.Humans have documented earthquakes for nearly 4,000 years. Of those recorded, the deadliest occurred in China. On January 23, 1556, a powerful quake rocked the province of Shaanxi and the neighboring province of Shanxi, killing an estimated 830,000 people.Historical records often refer to the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake as the Jiajing Great Earthquake because it occurred during Emperor Jiajing’s reign in the Ming dynasty. The approximate death toll comes from local annals that also tracked 26 earthquakes in the region. In those records, the earthquake is starkly different from others: they describe leveled mountains, floods, fires...

Floods in Shanxi province in northern China have forced more than 120,000 people from their homes. Local media reported 5 people died on 05 October 2021 after continuous rainstorms battered Shanxi Province. Meanwhile, more than 15 have been reported dead and there are more to come! Floods and landslides have been reported in 76 districts and cities. China’s state news agency Xinhua reported 17,000 homes severely damaged or destroyed. A total of 1.76 million people have been affected, as of 10 October. Emergency management departments have distributed relief supplies including tents, bedding and clothing. The heavy rain has also caused...

The government wants to destroy the mountain top "Heaven’s Gate". Perhaps a motorway will pass through the area. Great security measures to control thousands of faithful. The sanctuary was built in 1924. Every year, on September 15th, tens of thousands of pilgrims come from all over China.Taiyuan (AsiaNews) - Thousands of faithful came on pilgrimage to Dongergou, near Taiyuan (Shanxi), to the shrine of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is celebrated on September 15 in the Church. This year, in addition to reasons of faith, the faithful were further concerned...

Vatican City, 28 July (AKI) - A new bishop has been appointed to the archdiocese of Xian, in central China, with the reported agreement of both the Vatican and the Chinese government, accoridng to the Vatican-linked AsiaNews service. In a report Thursday, AsiaNews noted that the ordination of Monsignor Anthony Dan Mingyan, 38, follows a first 'joint' appointment of a bishop in Shanghai in June. It is the latest sign of an apparent thaw in relations between the Vatican and Beijing, which refuses to let Chinese Catholics recognise the authority of the Pope and operates its own Patriotce Catholic Association....

BEIJING (AFP) - People in Beijing were warned to stay indoors as the Chinese capital was shrouded in yellow smog with pollution reaching dangerous levels. "Under these polluted conditions, we propose that the majority of citizens reduce their time outdoors and avoid breathing this seriously polluted air," the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said in a warning posted on its website. Beijing's air quality has been at the lowest level for the past two days with the air "seriously polluted," the bureau said. Experts said the capital was experiencing a heat inversion, where warmer air in the atmosphere was keeping the...