Floods caused by heavy rains that began at the end of August forced the evacuation of half a million people in Shaanxi province. The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River, crested three times and threatened Weinan, a city about 30 miles east of Xian, home to China’s famous terra cotta warriors. Floods in the area are being called the worst in 20 years, but the loss of life has been considerably less than in other bad flood years. Travel in the region is likely to be disrupted until the rains subside.
