Cover Story: How a 140-Year Flood Caught Beijing and Nearby Cities Off Guard

Wang Jianyong, a resident of Xiehejian village in the mountainous suburban region west of Beijing, walked to attend a fellow villager’s funeral the morning of July 31. There was a moderate rain.

The Yongding River, which runs through the community, was rising quickly. By 10 a.m., mud and rocks were pouring down on the road from the hills above. Wang and several fellow villagers took refuge in a nearby tunnel.