After the Shock of an Earthquake, Thousands Now Huddle in Fear of a Flood

Emergency relief officials have created 50 evacuation routes and everyone in danger, they say, is within two miles of higher ground.

China Says It Will Accept Aid From Japan’s Military

China said it would accept disaster relief from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in what would be the first Japanese military air mission to China since the end of World War II.

China and Taiwan Discuss Direct Flights

After a break of almost a decade, China and Taiwan agreed to resume discussions on issues such as visits by mainland Chinese, according to the state news agency.

Opinion: Terrorism and the Olympics

We should encourage China to tolerate peaceful protesters even as it prosecutes terrorists. But instead of clarifying that distinction, we have helped China blur it.

River Threatens China Quake Survivors

With millions of people downstream threatened, soldiers and engineers are at work as evacuations continue.

China Leader Makes Debut in Great Wall of Facebook

A supporter of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has set up a page on the popular social networking Web site. Already, the page has drawn more than 12,500 supporters.

Home Village Exerts Pull, Even Amid the Rubble

Returning to their villages destroyed by the May 12 earthquake in China, survivors face countless obstacles as they attempt to refashion their lives.

Parents’ Grief Turns to Rage at Chinese Officials

Protests by grieving parents are forcing Chinese officials to address a growing political backlash over shoddy construction of public schools.

Fearing Floods, Chinese Order Evacuations in Quake Area

The Chinese authorities are evacuating 150,000 people threatened by possible flooding, if natural dams on a major river were to burst.

Taiwanese Party Leader Visits Mainland China

The chairman of Taiwan’s Nationalist Party began a six-day trip to mainland China, the latest in a series of moves by officials on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to forge closer relations.

Amid Tremors, a City Trembles With Dread

Although Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, has escaped serious physical damage, it has lost its joie de vivre with each new tremor.

One-Child Policy Lifted for Quake Victims’ Parents

Chinese officials said that parents whose only child was killed or grievously injured in the May 12 earthquake could apply for legal permission to have another child.

Falun Gong Marchers Are Jeered in Chinatown

Tensions between Beijing and practitioners of Falun Gong, a form of exercise and meditation outlawed in China, are nothing new, but anguish over the recent earthquake in China led to disturbances on Sunday.

China Struggles to Shelter Millions of Quake’s Homeless

Relief agencies say China’s needs are staggering, and officials worry that the international community may not have enough tents.

Aftershock in China Topples Many Buildings

The powerful aftershock in Sichuan Province destroyed thousands more buildings and injured hundreds of people, according to reports.

Chengdu eases one-child policy for quake victims

Authorities in Chengdu City said it will relax the one-child policy for families who lost their only child in the Sichuan earthquake, the Sichuan-based Tianfu Morning Post reported, citing the provincial capital's family planning commission.

Chinese Are Left to Ask Why Schools Crumbled

A staggering number of students died as schools collapsed in the May 12 earthquake, and grieving parents are speaking out about shoddy construction.

U.N. Leader Praises China’s Quake Response

The secretary general of the United Nations flew to the heart of China’s earthquake zone and pledged his organization’s support.

When Nature Turns Savage, Like the Dogs of War

In China after the earthquake, as in combat, the agonizing choice of deciding whom to save — or ignore.

Opinion: Where Breathing Is Deadly

China’s economic boom is raising living standards hugely in many ways, but the toll of the resulting pollution can be brutal.

Learning to Speak Olympics

With the Games approaching, a question: Can an irritating monkey help China become conversant in English?

China’s Rush to Dispose of Dead Compounds Agony

Family members have not been able to identify relatives and traditional reverence for the deceased has been upset.

Russia and China Attack U.S. Missile Shield Plan

Dmitri A. Medvedev’s diplomacy in China may signal an intention to continue Russia’s assertive foreign policy.

Stillness Returns, Sadness Lingers

Along the jagged peaks that stretch north toward the Tibetan plateau, 184 historic sites were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake that struck Sichuan Province on May 12.

In Ravaging China, Quake Pushes Tibet to Sidelines

Tibetan opponents of Beijing are struggling to compete with China’s growing diplomatic and economic clout.

Global Monitor Finds No Radioactive Leaks in Quake Zone

The finding supports reassurances by China and the United States that the giant earthquake of May 12 resulted in no nuclear releases.

Rescue Ends One Ordeal for Young Chinese Pupils

Safe for the first time since disaster struck, students at a school in Chengdu, China, alternately laughed and cried, still unaware that many of their parents had died.

Opinion: Earthquake and Hope

The Sichuan earthquake may be remembered as a milestone in the peaceful evolution of China toward capitalism and democracy.

Taiwan needs 'international space' to improve China relations - president

Taiwan must be able to secure reasonable international recognition if its relations with China are to improve, said Ma Ying-jeou, the island's newly installed president.

New President Takes Office in Taiwan

A Nationalist, Ma Ying-jeou, took office as Taiwan’s new president on Tuesday and used his inaugural speech to repeat campaign promises to seek closer economic relations with mainland China and an eventual peace accord.

Dalai Lama’s Britain Visit Raises Questions of Protocol

European governments are trying to balance China’s hostility toward the Dalai Lama against their support for human rights in Tibet.

In Quake, Apotheosis of Premier ‘Grandpa’

As China grapples with its greatest natural disaster in three decades, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s uncommon image as an empathetic, benevolent official has been cemented in popular lore.

China Blocks Thousands of Hindus From Tibet Pilgrimage

The Chinese government is refusing to issue visas to pilgrims from Nepal and India trying to make the traditional summer journey to what they hold to be the home of Lord Shiva.

Rescues Continue in China, but Focus Is Shifting to the 5 Million Left Homeless

As the confirmed death toll rose to more than 40,000, Chinese authorities issued an urgent appeal for tents.

Opinion: China’s Class Divide

Perhaps the Sichuan earthquake can do some good by helping dispel a widespread myth: that the new generation of Chinese students are materialistic and selfish.

Many Hands, Not Held by China, Aid in Quake

Thousands of Chinese have streamed into the quake region or donated money in an unscripted response.

NY Times Slideshow: A Moment of Silence

China began three days of national mourning on Monday for victims of the earthquake that devastated Sichuan Province a week earlier.

One Week Later, a Nation Pauses to Share Its Mourning and Grief

Thousands of people tried to evacuate the Sichuan provincial capital after a televised warning of a possible severe aftershock.

In Rubble, Couple Clung to Each Other, and to Life

A tale of survival in China is also a tale of a rekindled love for two people who might have died had they been trapped alone.

As the Search for Survivors Scales Back, an Air of Hopelessness Descends

As the search for survivors was scaled back in many areas, officials announced a three-day mourning period during which the Olympic torch relay will be halted.

Earthquake Opens Gap in Controls on Media

The earthquake has tested China in many ways, but one of the biggest challenges is to the country’s sometimes sophisticated, sometimes heavy-handed propaganda system.

Chinese Flee Flood Threat From Quake

Thousands of earthquake survivors fled camps and villages after warnings that lakes and rivers were getting close to overflowing.

Larger Than Life, More to Fight Over

Statues of Martin Luther King Jr. are always too this or too that. But the memorial planned for the National Mall is too Mao?

Taiwanese tourists found alive

The 14 Taiwanese tourists who had been missing for six days since an earthquake devastated China’s Sichuan Province on Monday were finally located yesterday.

In China, Skittish Pandas, Then Exploding Cliffs

Foreign tourists described an escape from Monday’s earthquake made possible by panda keepers’ heroism.

Glimpses of Survivors, Miraculous and Few, in Earthquake’s Ruins

Chinese officials said rescuers were still finding survivors of an earthquake that has killed nearly 29,000 people.

Rescuers Aim for Chinese Villages Yet Unreached

Rescue workers are still struggling to reach untold numbers of remote villages, which could contribute tens of thousands more bodies to the earthquake death toll.

Superstitions About Quake Meet the Web, Irritating the Chinese Authorities

Persistent rumors and tall tales by some Chinese bloggers are proving nettlesome to the authorities as they grapple with China’s most calamitous disaster in a generation.

Western Experts Monitor China’s Nuclear Sites for Signs of Earthquake Damage

China’s main centers for making and storing nuclear arms lie in the earthquake zone, leading Western experts to look for signs of any damage that might allow radioactivity to escape.

In Departure, China Invites Outside Help

China sought experts and equipment from Japan and Taiwan as President Hu Jintao visited the area affected by the earthquake.

Opinion: Isolated China benefits nobody

The potential deterioration of China’s international relations serves nobody’s interest and threatens to undermine global peace and security.

Two Taiwanese reported dead, 14 remain missing

Two Taiwanese, including a three-year-old boy, were yesterday repor­ted killed following the devastating earthquake in southwest China. At press time last night, 14 Taiwanese tourists remained unreachable by phone.

China quake brings new threats

May 15 - Damage to dams is emerging as another threat to life in the aftermath of the quake that hit Sichuan province.

Official estimates of the number of dead have reached 15,000 but with an estimated 25,000 still unaccounted for, the toll is certain to rise despite the best efforts of rescue teams to find those buried in mud and rubble since the quake struck on Monday.

Protestors take aim at China's Hu

May 13 - Nepali police battle with Tibetan protestors during an anti-China rally in the capital Kathmandu.

Demonstrators tried to burn an effigy of China's President Hu Jintao following remarks by China's ambassador to Nepal.

Zheng Xialing had earlier urged the Nepali government to curb continuing Tibetan protests in the Himalayan country.

There have been regular demonstrations in Nepal by exiled Tibetans after deadly riots in Chinese-controlled Tibet in March (2008).

NY Times Slideshow: Grief in Juyuan

The children who died in the recent earthquake in China symbolized the disaster’s seemingly indiscriminate cruelty. But the cruelty, in the eyes of their parents, was also man-made.

Tiny Bodies in a Morgue, and Grief in China

Many victims of the quake are children in a country where most families are allowed to have only one.

Sichuan’s Migrant Sprawl Now a Network of Worry

Efforts by migrant workers to get word of their families in Sichuan are being thwarted by downed telephone lines and disrupted cellular phone base stations.

Rescues Require Skills, Specialists Say

Once the first 24 hours immediately after an earthquake pass, rescuing survivors becomes a technical exercise best handled by specialists.

NY Times Slideshow: The Rescue Effort Continues

In the aftermath of this week’s powerful earthquake, the latest figures put the number of people still buried at 26,000 and the missing at 14,000.

Chinese Soldiers Rush to Bolster Weakened Dams

The Chinese government said that the earthquake had damaged nearly 400 dams, and the death toll estimate rose to 15,000.

Historical Tremors

The wreckage in Dujiangyan, China, stands as a tragic monument to a culture that turned its back on its remarkable and glittering history.

NY Times Slideshow: A Historical Tibet

In Gansu and Qinghai Provinces of China, Nicholas D. Kristof encounters Tibetan herders and monks.

Opinion: The Terrified Monks

When President Bush visits China for the Olympics, he should strongly encourage serious negotiations between Beijing and the Dalai Lama.

Camera crew captures quake terror

May 12 - A Japanese camera crew captured the panic and confusion at Chengdu airport following the massive earthquake on Monday (May 12) that has killed over 12,000 people.

Chaos struck the departure terminal of Chengdu airport just as the TV Tokyo crew were in the departure lobby. Their footage shows scared and distressed people as the tremor rocked the large terminal building.

Passengers on all planes were told to evacuate and found themselves walking on the tarmac. In the terminal, security guards raced around ordering everyone out of the building before closing down the airport

Nearby residents also took to the streets, fearing more aftershocks.

China's grief grows by the day

May 14 - A massive operation to rescue the victims of one of China's deadliest earthquakes is continuing as the death toll continues to rise.

Tens of thousands of troops, firefighters and civilians raced to save more than 25,000 people buried across a wide swathe of southwest Sichuan province under collapsed schools, factories and hospitals after Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake. The official death toll climbed to 14,866, as rescuers pulled at tangled chunks of buildings for signs of life. The government sent 50,000 troops to dig for victims.

China troops boost quake rescue

May 14 - Thousands of extra troops head to Sichuan to join those already searching for survivors of the massive earthquake.

Some 30,000 additional troops are being sent to the stricken region where Monday's devastating earthquake of 7.9 magnitude flattened homes, schools, hospitals and factories.

China earthquake aftermath

May 12 - China earthquake victims brace for rainy cold night.

Residents in China's Sichuan Province are struggling to cope with rain after their homes were reduced to rubble by Monday's earthquake which had a magnitude of 7.9.

NY Times Slideshow: Powerful Earthquake Hits China

A powerful earthquake struck a mountainous region of western China on Monday, killing several thousand people and trapping more than 900 students beneath a collapsed high school.

A Rescue in China, Uncensored

The rescue effort playing on Chinese television is remarkable for a country that has a history of concealing the scope of natural calamities.

Quake Toll Rises; China Struggles to Reach Victims

Rescue workers struggled to reach the tens of thousands of people who remained buried in the aftermath of the earthquake, as the death toll climbed above 13,000.

‘No Hope’ for Children Buried in Earthquake

As dawn crept across the shattered town of Dujiangyan, the site of a school collapse became a center of mourning.

Disaster Set Off by Colliding Land Masses

As a result of a continuing collision between India and Asia, an upward thrust fault broke on Monday afternoon, generating an earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China.

Powerful Quake Ravages China, Killing Thousands

An earthquake struck in China, toppling thousands of buildings and killing at least 10,000 people.

Olympic Torch Reaches Everest Peak

The Chinese government had long hoped to have the Olympic flame lit atop the world’s highest mountain.

China Orchestra Plays for Pope for First Time, Hinting at Thaw

The concert performed for Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday could signal the end to the tense relationship between the Vatican and the Chinese government.

In His Visit to Japan, China Leader Seeks Amity

The leaders of China and Japan pledged to make their nations partners instead of rivals as Chinese President Hu Jintao began a goodwill mission to Tokyo.

Stopping Traffic in the People’s Republic

A blond man no longer stuns the Chinese, but mixed-race children do.

One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong Press

In Hong Kong’s boisterous media, daily newspapers and local television news programs regularly carry photos and reports that would be banned on the Chinese mainland.

Chinese Students in U.S. Fight View of Their Home

Chinese students in the U.S. are confronting an image of their homeland they neither recognize nor appreciate.

Protests of the West Spread in China

Demonstrations against a French supermarket chain spread as thousands of people protested what they said was France’s sympathy for pro-Tibetan agitators.

Sympathy on the Streets, but Not for the Tibetans

An incident that has gone largely unpublicized in the West has crystallized the outrage and humiliation felt by many Chinese over recent protests against the Olympics.