Heavy rain triggers river warnings, evacuations in northeast China's Jilin

Days of heavy rain had pushed 14 rivers in northeast China's Jilin Province above warning levels by Sunday morning, prompting the evacuation of over 14,000 people.

Widespread rainfall started hitting Jilin on Friday. From 5:00 on Saturday to 5:00 on Sunday, the province recorded an average precipitation of 27.5 mm, peaking at 88.4 mm.

The heavy rain has been widespread and intense. With soil already saturated by above-normal rainfall this flood season, Jilin faces a high risk of floods and landslides. The province raised its flood and typhoon emergency response to Level III at 10:00 on Friday.

By 6:00 on Sunday, 14 rivers across the province had registered water levels 0.04 to 1.14 meters above warning levels. Eleven reservoirs exceeded flood limits, with discharges underway. The Fengman and Baishan reservoirs still held 6.7 billion cubic meters of flood-control capacity. Over 14,000 people had been evacuated.

Due to heavy rainfall, China Railway Shenyang Group Co., Ltd. adjusted operations for 101 passenger trains in Jilin, of which 81 have been suspended, and 20 have had their routes modified. In addition, 131 scenic areas across the province have been closed as a safety precaution.

In 1667, German Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher published China Illustrated, a landmark work that contained the first-known European illustration of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

The drawing, captioned "Bietala" -- a Latinized form of "Potala" -- was the work of European missionary Johann Grueber, a skilled surveyor and illustrator. Grueber had visited Xizang in 1661 and drew the palace in Lhasa during his stay.

His illustration gave Europeans their first-ever glimpse of the Potala Palace.