Rail services between Kunming and Chengdu resumed on Friday, two weeks after being severed by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that killed 40 and damaged or destroyed more than 900,000 homes in southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan provinces.

A passenger train carrying more than 1,000 passengers departed Kunming on Friday afternoon, relaunching rail traffic between the two provincial capitals just in time for Mid-Autumn festival.

The 18- to 23-hour trip is one of the most tunnel-ridden sections of rail in China.

Related article: Earthquake rattles Sichuan, Yunnan provinces

Tags: Chengdu, disasters, earthquake, Mid-Autumn Festival, Panzhihua, rail, Sichuan, tourism, transport

Editor's note: GoKunming is publishing photos from the collection of Auguste François (1857-1935), who served as French consul in south China between 1896 and 1904, during which he spent several years in Kunming. The photos have been provided by Kunming resident and private collector Yin Xiaojun (殷晓俊). GoKunming thanks Yin Xiaojun for providing us a glimpse of Yunnan at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Year: 1900
Subject: Refugees from Sichuan
Location: Unknown location in Kunming

Background:

In general, life in southwest China is much less arduous than it was a century ago, but natural disasters can still strike with little notice - as this year has demonstrated to catastrophic effect. This year southwest China has experienced a massive winter storm, a catastrophic earthquake near Wenchuan in Sichuan, and the more recent tremor that destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes in Sichuan and Yunnan.

More than a hundred years ago, Auguste François bore witness to the tragedy of the flooding of Luzhou in Sichuan. The people in the photo above are refugees from the flooding of the Jinsha River, which eventually becomes the Yangtze River.

That these refugees even made it to Yunnan is little short of a miracle. These seven extremely poor people had barely enough clothing to cover themselves, and included two elderly and one child in their ranks.

Moreover, some of the refugees are missing toes, likely due to leprosy (麻风病), and the child's belly is bloated from undernourishment. The sad scene is an unforgettable illustration of the Chinese phrase yi bu bi ti (衣不蔽体) or "not enough clothing to cover oneself".

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Auguste François, Yin Xiaojun and Kunming at the end of the Qing Dynasty

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Tags: Auguste François, disasters, Jinsha River, Luzhou, Sichuan, Wenchuan earthquake, Yin Xiaojun

China has allocated 27 million yuan (3.95 million dollars) in relief funds for the areas of southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan hit by a 6.1 magnitude quake on Saturday that affected nearly a million people and whose death toll currently stands at forty.

The areas of Huili County and Panzhihua in Sichuan plus Chuxiong prefecture in Yunnan were hit hardest by Saturday's tremor, which destroyed or damaged more than 392,000 homes and led to the evacuation of around 181,000, according to Xinhua reports. At least 675 have been reported injured.

Saturday's quake was located on the southern end of the fault line involved in the devastating May 12 earthquake centered around Wenchuan county that left nearly 88,000 people dead or missing.

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24 hours later, aftershock hits Sichuan, Yunnan

Earthquake rattles Sichuan, Yunnan provinces

Tags: Chuxiong, disasters, earthquake, Huili, Panzhihua, Sichuan, Wenchuan earthquake

Yesterday at 4:31 pm, a strong aftershock registering 5.6 in magnitude hit southern Sichuan near Panzhihua 24 hours and one minute after Saturday's 6.1-magnitude earthquake in the same location. Once again, the tremor was able to be felt in buildings as far south as Kunming.

According to the most recent Xinhua reports, 32 people died in Saturday's quake, more than 400 were injured and over 100,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.

No information has been made available regarding casualties or damage from Sunday's aftershock. More than 800,000 people have been affected by the quakes.

According to Chinese media reports, the areas most affected by the quakes include Panzhihua, Huili and Liangshan in Sichuan and Zhaotong, Chuxiong and Dali.

UPDATE: As of 6:30 pm Beijing time on Monday, Xinhua is reporting that 38 people have been confirmed dead from the quake.

Related article: Earthquake rattles Sichuan, Yunnan provinces

Tags: Chuxiong, Dali, disasters, earthquake, Panzhihua, Sichuan, Zhaotong

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter
scale shook southwest China this afternoon at 4:30 pm. According to initial reports, the earthquake's epicenter was located 50 kilometers south of Panzhihua (攀枝花), Sichuan province.

As of 6:30 pm Beijing time no reports of damage or injuries have emerged. Panzhihua, a city of slightly more than 1 million, is located near Sichuan's southern border with Yunnan roughly 350 kilometers north of Kunming. The tremor was able to be felt in high buildings throughout Kunming.

Today's earthquake is the second episode of major seismic activity to hit southwest China in the past month - on August 19 and 21, two quakes hit Yunnan's Yingjiang County (盈江县) near the Myanmar border, measuring 5.0 and 5.9 in magnitude, respectively.

The first Yingjiang quake was quickly followed by two aftershocks measuring less than 5.0, while the second quake killed at least three and left 106 injured, 24 of which were considered serious injuries.

Today's quake also hits Sichuan as it was recovering from the devastating earthquake in Wenchuan County on May 12, which killed nearly 70,000 people.

GoKunming will provide more updates as they become available.

UPDATE: At least 22 are confirmed dead - 17 in Sichuan and five in Yunnan - and more than 100 are injured from Saturday's quake, according to Xinhua reports. At least 1,000 homes were destroyed by the tremor.

Related article: Hope during dark times: Witnessing the earthquake's aftermath

Tags: disasters, earthquake, Panzhihua, Sichuan, Wenchuan