1998: Party leader Jiang Zemin, China’s most powerful man, visits Hubei province after a flash flood kills at least 2,000 people.
2010: Jiang’s successor, Hu Jintao, visits Qinghai Province after an earthquake kills at least 1,500 people.
August 2023: Large areas around the capital, Beijing, were hit by floods after the worst rainfall in 144 years.
At least 109 people were killed and nearly 500,000 homes were destroyed by flood waters.
Two weeks later, party leader Xi Jinping did not visit the flood areas. This last photo of him, taken on July 31st.
State media has praised Xi Jinping’s leadership in rescue efforts after the catastrophic floods. On social media, people are wondering where the dictator has gone.
While severe weather ravaged Hans Norway at the beginning of August, parts of northern China were hit by heavy rains and flash floods. Cyclones Duxuri and Kano caused floods and landslides. So far, the storm has claimed at least 109 lives and forced one and a half million from their homes.
In Zhuozhou, southwest of the capital, Beijing, the flood height reached 7 meters. Some of them were due to the forces of nature. Some of them were man-made.
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