1931 China floods facts for kids
Hankou city hall during the 1931 flood
|
|
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | July–November 1931 (depending on river) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 422,499–4,000,000 |
| Areas affected |  Central and eastern China |
The 1931 China floods were a series of huge floods that happened in China from June to August 1931. These floods affected many important cities like Wuhan and Nanjing. They were caused by extremely heavy rains and melting snow. One of the biggest problems was when a protective wall, called a dike, broke near Lake Gaoyou in August 1931. This disaster affected millions of people and is remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in history. Many people lost their homes and faced great challenges, including a lack of food and the spread of illnesses.
Contents
Why the Floods Happened
Unusual Weather Patterns
Before the floods, China had a long dry spell from 1928 to 1931. Then, the winter of 1930–1931 was very cold. This caused a lot of snow and ice to build up in the mountains. In early 1931, all this snow and ice began to melt. It flowed down into the Yangtze River just as heavy spring rains started. Usually, the region had a few separate periods of high water. But in 1931, the rain and melting snow created one continuous, huge flood. By June, many people living in low areas had to leave their homes.
Extreme Summer Storms
The summer of 1931 brought even more problems. There were many strong storms called cyclones. In July alone, nine cyclones hit the area. This was much more than the usual two cyclones per year. Weather stations along the Yangtze River reported over 600 millimeters (about 24 inches) of rain that month. The water level in the Yangtze River reached its highest point ever recorded. Even in the autumn, heavy rains continued. Some rivers did not return to their normal levels until November.
Vast Areas Underwater
The floods covered a huge area, about 180,000 square kilometers (about 69,500 square miles). This is roughly the size of England and half of Scotland combined. The water levels were incredibly high. In Wuhan, the water was about 16 meters (53 feet) above average on August 19. Many parts of the country were underwater, especially along the Yellow River and the Grand Canal. Eight provinces were hit the hardest: Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, and Shandong. Even areas far away, like Guangdong in the south and Sichuan in the west, experienced flooding.
Impact of the Floods
People Affected and Challenges Faced
The 1931 floods affected an enormous number of people. The government at the time estimated that 25 million people were impacted. Some historians believe the number could have been as high as 53 million. Many people lost their lives, either directly from the floods or from the difficult conditions that followed. People struggled to find enough food, and illnesses spread quickly because of crowded conditions and poor sanitation. Diseases like cholera, measles, and malaria became a serious problem. The Tanka people, who traditionally lived on boats, were especially hit hard.
Damage to Homes and Farms
The floods destroyed huge amounts of homes and farmland. Across the entire Yangtze Valley, about 15% of the wheat and rice crops were ruined. In the areas directly hit by the floods, the damage to crops was much worse. This led to a shortage of food and a rise in prices for important goods. Many communities faced extreme hunger.
Cities Underwater
The floods also caused great damage to a number of cities. Wuhan was one of the most affected cities. Many people who had fled from rural areas arrived there, only for the city itself to be flooded in July. A major protective wall broke, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without homes. Large parts of Wuhan were underwater for nearly three months. People gathered on higher ground, like railway embankments, trying to stay safe. Nanjing, which was the capital of China at the time, also suffered greatly. A very serious event happened on August 25, 1931, when dikes near Gaoyou Lake broke. This caused many people in Gaoyou County to lose their lives.
Rebuilding Efforts
Repairing the Dikes
After the floods, there was a huge effort to rebuild the damaged protective walls, or dikes. At Lake Gaoyou, two important people helped lead this work: Thomas Harnsberger, a missionary, and General Wang Shuxiang, an expert in water engineering. They worked to get the money and supervise the repairs. This was a massive task to protect communities from future floods.
Government and International Help
Organizing Relief Efforts
The 1931 floods were a huge challenge for the Chinese government at the time, led by the Kuomintang party. To help the millions affected, the government created the National Flood Relief Commission. This group was led by T.V. Soong, an important politician. Many experts, both Chinese and international, joined the commission. They included health specialists and engineers. The League of Nations also offered its help. Even famous aviators Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Lindbergh flew over the flooded areas to survey the damage.
Global Support and Challenges
People from all over the world sent aid to China. Chinese communities living in other countries were especially generous. The American author Pearl Buck wrote stories to encourage donations. However, the relief efforts faced many difficulties. China was dealing with political conflicts and a challenging economic situation. Despite these problems, the government secured a large loan of wheat and flour from the United States to help feed the hungry. After the floods, new organizations were set up to try and prevent future disasters. But due to ongoing conflicts, they could only build smaller dams along the Yangtze River.
Long-Term Flood Control
The Three Gorges Dam Project
Years later, in 1953, after the Chinese Civil War ended, the new leader of China, Mao Zedong, visited areas near the Yangtze River. He promoted the idea of building a massive dam called the Three Gorges Dam. This project aimed to control floods and generate electricity. Mao Zedong believed this dam would be one of the greatest projects in Chinese history, like the Great Wall of China or the Grand Canal.
Building the World's Largest Power Station
The Three Gorges Dam project faced many challenges and took a long time to complete. It was restarted in the 1980s. The dam finally began full operation in 2012. Today, the hydroelectric Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power station in terms of how much electricity it can produce. It plays a key role in flood control and power generation for China.
Images for kids
-
People affected by the flooding in August 1931
See also
In Spanish: Inundaciones en China de 1931 para niños
- List of disasters in China by death toll
