Typhoons strike China more frequently than any other country. From May to December, China is vulnerable to typhoons which over the past 30 years have struck China more frequently than any other country---at a rate of 7 a year. By Chinese standards a gale of force 6-7 near the typhoon center is designated as “ tropical depression”; a gale of force 8-11 is called a typhoon and a gale above force 12 is a strong typhoon. Striking mainly between July and September---about 80 percent of the annual total---they usually affect an area 100 kilometers from the coast, sometimes sweeping as far as 400 kilometers inland, and stay for one or two days, sometimes four or five days, or only a few hours. They land mainly in the provinces south of the Yangtze River, particularly in Guangdong, which gets about 50 percent of the annual total. Taiwan accounts for about 20 percent and Fujian about 15 percent. Typhoons can cause tremendous damage with their rainstorms and tidal waves. On the other hand, since the typhoon season coincides with the hot, dry season of the coastal regions in the southeast, the rainfall they bring sometimes contributes to the relief of the heat and drought. To put two and two together, however, they are more of a calamity than a blessing