Recent Floods from South to North Cause Great Concern in China
In recent days, China has been hit by severe flooding from south to north, with heavy rains and official flood releases leading to shocking scenes of devastation in the affected areas. The Chinese authorities have reported that over 329 rivers have experienced flooding exceeding the warning level. However, up to now, there has been criticism as no high-ranking officials from the Chinese Communist Party have visited the disaster-affected areas or made any expressions of sympathy.
Starting from July 1st, China entered the flood season. The Ministry of Water Resources of the Chinese Communist Party had previously predicted that from July to August, China would experience a situation of “floods in the north and droughts in the south,” with the likelihood of repeated heavy rains and floods in certain northern areas, as well as the possibility of strong typhoons hitting the north. In contrast, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, and rivers like the Qiantang and Min are likely to face temporary drought conditions.
Since June, floods have been wreaking havoc in southern China, and now the northern regions are also facing heavy downpours.
In recent days, Liaoning has experienced frequent rainfall. From 5 PM on July 1st to 8 AM on July 4th, heavy rainfall continued in the southeastern part of Liaoning. Cities like Dalian, Fushun, Benxi, Dandong, Yingkou, and Xiuyan have witnessed heavy rain, with some areas experiencing torrential rains. In Dalian, the average rainfall reached 146.5 millimeters, breaking the historical record for the same period (July 1st to 3rd) set in 1951 (the previous record was 92.7 millimeters in 2013), surpassing the average July rainfall by 1.2 times, leading to comments from netizens like “Three days of rain in one whole month.”
Videos circulating online show severe flooding in Dalian, with vehicles trapped in the water.
Chengdu in Sichuan Province has been hit by consecutive heavy rains. Just as the heavy rains subsided at the end of June, another round of heavy rainfall occurred on July 3rd, leading to flooding on more than a dozen roads, causing transportation disruptions. Some people resorted to using kayaks for travel, and the East Chengdu Railway Station was flooded, prompting the Chengdu Meteorological Observatory to issue a red alert for heavy rain.
On July 4th, Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, which had experienced the strongest rainfall since the start of the flood season two days earlier, was once again hit by heavy rainfall, resulting in stormy weather in the urban area. Weather enthusiasts reported that Taiyuan’s urban area experienced gusts of wind reaching level 11, akin to a typhoon passing through, making it the most intense thunderstorm in Taiyuan in recent years.
A resident of Taiyuan remarked that the fierce wind and rain that evening shocked everyone, as it was the first time in over thirty years that such heavy rainfall was witnessed.
On July 3rd, Gannan in Gansu Province was suddenly hit by a major flood, severely affecting places like Kang County and Wen County. The flood destroyed roads, houses, farmland, and washed away vehicles and people. As of the 4th, Gannan had seen continuous heavy rains for three days, with floods still rampant.
Yunnan’s Yunxian County also saw a major flood on July 2nd, causing severe damage, with road interruptions and high-speed train services suspended. A villager in Yunxian disclosed to NTD Television that the flood had destroyed two tea factories, houses, and farmland in the village. He made a living by selling tea, but now his tea leaves, computer, phone, and other valuable items were destroyed, turning into a pile of rubbish, a heartbreaking sight.
On the evening of July 4th, mudslides occurred in several places including Sichuan, Yunnan, causing house collapses, road blockages, and transportation disruptions. Videos online showed mudslides cascading down slopes, toppling several buildings in seconds and flowing into nearby rivers.
In the evening of July 4th, the Traffic and Transportation Department and the Public Security Bureau of Jiuzhaigou County in Sichuan jointly issued a notice stating that due to heavy rainfall, a mudslide occurred on the section of National Highway 247 (903KM) from Jiuzhaigou County to Pingwu.
At 8:05 PM on July 4th, a mudslide of approximately 1800 cubic meters happened at Da Shibao in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, leading to traffic disruptions.
On July 2nd, Longlin County of Baise in Guangxi was hit by a sudden flood, causing swift currents that led to road collapses and flooding in the city, with a five-story residential building collapsing into a river.
On the evening of June 30th, the 2025 flood peaks of the Minjiang and Jinsha rivers coincided and passed through Yibin, Sichuan. Data monitored by the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources showed that the flood peak at Hejiangmen in Yibin reached 267.18 meters at 6:00 PM, with a maximum flow rate exceeding 20,000 cubic meters per second.
Due to the influence of increased water from upstream on the Yangtze River, the water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir area rose rapidly. As of 2:00 PM on July 2nd, the water level in front of the Three Gorges Dam was at 152.07 meters, exceeding the flood limit by 7 meters, with an inflow rate of about 30,000 cubic meters per second and an outflow rate of 20,400 cubic meters per second.
The Sichuan Basin is also one of the core areas affected by rainfall. From June 29th to 30th, widespread heavy rain and even extreme heavy rain occurred in many parts of the Sichuan Basin. The rainfall covered an area of over 100,000 square kilometers, with 70,000 square kilometers experiencing heavy rain and a total precipitation of over 14 billion cubic meters in a single day. Some netizens described it as “fitting 1000 West Lake’s worth of water into the Sichuan Basin in a day.”
Due to the heavy rain, the water discharge from the Minjiang River increased, prompting the Zipingpu Reservoir in northwest Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, to increase its flood discharge at 10 PM on June 29th. Chengdu was already a core area of the current heavy rains, and the additional flood discharge from upstream led to severe urban flooding.
In the early hours of July 1st, Xianfeng County in Hubei Province was hit by a sudden flood, with nearly the entire city submerged overnight and many vehicles swept away. The scene of the flood was shocking, with one blogger describing it as the first time witnessing such a large flood.
Since late June, 27 rivers in southern China have experienced floods exceeding the warning level, severely affecting provinces like Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, with over 400,000 people affected. Due to continuous heavy rain and the continuous release of water from upstream, Rongjiang County in Guizhou Province faced its largest flood in 30 years.
From June 20th to 21st, the water level of the rivers in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, rapidly rose, causing landslides, flooding of farmland, and water entering houses. By the 24th, many residents told media outlets that the flood had reached the third floor, causing great fear as some areas were completely submerged.
Several videos circulating online show the iconic soccer field known as “Cun Chao” in Rongjiang submerged, a popular spot for social media influencers. The largest shopping mall in Rongjiang, Changchi Square, was filled with cascading floodwaters, quickly being engulfed by the rushing waters.
Rongjiang County faced floods on both June 24th and 28th, causing severe damage to surrounding rural areas, with many houses, vehicles, and farmland crops washed away. Many rural residents are yet to receive any rescue assistance and are facing a shortage of basic supplies, struggling even to have enough to eat.
On June 26th, videos emerged showing the aftermath of the previous floods in Rongjiang County, indicating widespread devastation.
On June 28th, a mountain torrential mudslide tore through residential buildings in Leishan County, Guizhou, presenting a harrowing scene. A netizen captured footage of a man’s body floating in the floodwaters, a poignant and distressing sight.
It is worth noting that in recent years, the floods in China have not only been due to heavy rainfall but have also been linked to official flood releases. For instance, during the heavy rainfall in Rongjiang, Guizhou, upstream hydro plants discharged water multiple times, causing rapid rises in water levels in Pingyong River, Zhaihao River, and Duliujiang within the county.
Similarly, in Huaihua City, Hunan, residents of Tuokou Town revealed to NTD Television that several upstream hydro plants released water, with the Tuokou Hydropower Station opening seven gates starting from June 23rd, leading to a rapid rise in the water level of the Yuanjiang River.
Many areas in Henan Province also experienced extreme heavy rainfall. From 9 PM to midnight on June 30th, Taiping Town and Erlangping Town in Xixia County, Henan, saw extremely heavy rainfall, with an accumulated rainfall of 225.3 millimeters in just over two hours, triggering flash floods, causing the downstream Shewei River to surge, resulting in the destruction of some facilities and trapping residents.
Deputy Minister Chen Min of the Ministry of Water Resources of the Chinese Communist Party mentioned during a press conference at the State Council Information Office on July 4th that as of 8 AM on July 4th, a total of 329 rivers had experienced flooding exceeding the warning level.
Despite the widespread devastation caused by the floods, no senior officials above the deputy national level of the Chinese Communist Party have visited the severely affected areas, nor have any so-called “important directives” been issued.
Official reports indicate that Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, responsible for flood control and disaster relief, has not inspected the disaster area since June. On July 1st and 2nd, Zhang was conducting research on manufacturing industry transformation, innovation development, and other work in Hubei.
Commentator Li Lin expressed to Epoch Times that since Xi Jinping took power, the practice of personally visiting disaster areas and being directly involved in disaster relief activities, a practice seen during Hu Jintao’s tenure, has been abandoned. Xi often only makes appearances after the floodwaters recede. When he visited Henan in May and saw the severe drought there without expressing any sympathy, it became apparent that the entire Communist regime was in crisis, with senior officials more focused on internal power struggles, neglecting even the most basic principles of official conduct.