On the morning of November 28th, at 7:45 am, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck Rongcheng City, Weihai City, Shandong Province. The epicenter was only 9 kilometers deep. Despite the relatively low magnitude, due to the shallow depth of the epicenter, significant shaking was felt in Weihai City and surrounding areas such as Wendeng and Rushan. Many residents were awakened from their sleep by the tremors.
The China Earthquake Networks Center officially determined that the epicenter was located at 36.82 degrees north latitude and 122.16 degrees east longitude.
Numerous local netizens flooded social media platforms to share their moments of terror, expressing that they still feel shaken when thinking back. Many recalled feeling their beds shaking significantly while in deep sleep, initially mistaking it for a heavy truck passing by downstairs or their neighbors moving furniture. Despite the brief duration of the shaking, it was enough to startle those deep in slumber.
“I was shaken awake from my sleep, the building swayed several times, and it was clear that an earthquake had occurred.”
For many residents, their initial reaction was confusion, only confirming it was an earthquake after checking their phones. Following this realization, they described feeling a sudden cold sweat on their palms and quickly sitting up to inspect doors and windows. Some noticed their ceiling lights were still gently swaying, and their wardrobes made creaking sounds. Another netizen shared a close call she had while preparing breakfast, leaning against the stove when she suddenly felt the ground shaking, almost dropping the pot she was holding. There were also accounts of individuals waking up wrapped in blankets, their minds blank for a moment before realizing they needed to seek shelter beside their beds.
Among the many fear-filled comments, some office workers humorously quipped that this earthquake served better than an alarm clock, “roughly dragging them out of bed to work.”
Over the past 14 years, Weihai and its surrounding areas have experienced five earthquakes above magnitude 3, with the most intense being the 4.3 magnitude earthquake in Rushan in 2014. Many netizens took this opportunity to reflect on past experiences. A resident of Rushan recalled lying in bed using their phone when the house suddenly shook, “I quickly covered my head, and even though it was just a few seconds, my heart was pounding.”
Others shared worrying accounts, such as one individual whose parents were in Weihai when the earthquake struck, mentioning how the ceiling lights swung violently, causing the elderly to run towards the door. Fortunately, everything turned out fine, but the experience was nerve-wracking.
A netizen jokingly remarked, “Even an earthquake couldn’t make me request time off work. I obediently went to work. Compared to earthquakes, the fear of being late and having my pay deducted is scarier.”