September 17, 1303 Earthquake: Shanxi Province, China

September 17, 1303, Hongtong and Zhaocheng, Shanxi Province, 36.30 N, 111. 7, magnitude 8, intensity XI.

General situation: City walls, weirs and ditches were

destroyed, over 100,000 official and civilian houses collapsed. Over 1,400 temples also collapsed, uncountable

people were killed. Ground cracked forming ditches. Villages were moved. City walls of Fenzhou sank. Aftershocks continued for 3-4 years.

Zhaocheng: Earthquakes occurred east of the Fenhe River, more violently at this county. The Yixun Village of Fanxuan was moved 6-8 km away. All the people and houses were buried as the Xuanbu Hill slumped.

Hongtong: Villages were moved away. Ground cracked and ditches formed. Uncountable people were killed. Flames swept over hills, burning out all things on the way.

Pingyao: 24,600 houses collapsed. All offices were completely devastated. More than 8,000 people were

killed or injured. Sand and water gushed incessantly

from the ground.

Xiaoyi: All temples, schoolhouses, altars and offices

were devastated. Over 10,000 houses were destroyed.

Earth cracked and ditches formed.

Jiexiu: All offices and civilian houses fell in and temples collapsed under shaking. Ground cracked and

ditches formed. Spring occurred with ejection of

black sand.

Wenshui: All civilian houses, offices and temples were

devastated under shaking. Many people were killed.

Fenyang: The northern city walls sank for about 1 km

in length, and the eastern city walls for more than 70 paces.

Linfen: City walls and houses fell down. School houses,

the Huixian Taoist Temple, and ancestral temples were also destroyed. Uncountable people were killed.

Fenxi: Qjngshan Hil1(in the west of the county)slumped. The temple atop the hill collapsed.

Xiangning: Only 30-40% of the houses survived, people lived in the open.

Xiangling: In Confucian Temple, rafters broke off,

pillars were destroyed and ridgepoles cracked.

Fushan : All school houses and temples were devastated.

30% of the people were killed.

Yicheng: The Daiyue Temple collapsed.

Quwo: The Buddhist pagoda of Ganying Temple was split into two. Its 4 stories fell (8 stories still remained).

A school also collapsed.

Wenxi: All the halls of the Confucian Temple, the Guandi Temple and the Jiangyuan Temple were devastated.

Xiaxian: Offices and Wen's old school collapsed and only Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple is still in existence.

Yuanqu: The Confucian Temple and many offices collapsed.

Jincheng: Many official and civilian houses were destroyed.

Gaoping: Uncounted official and civilian houses were

destroyed.

Changzhi: Schoolhouses were destroyed and walls of the Confucian Temple fell.

Yuxiang: 80-90% of the private houses were destroyed.

Huguan: Landslides occurred and ground sank. A few of the civilian houses were not damaged.

Taigu: A school was rebuilt after earthquake.

Lucheng: A School, the Confucian Temple, offices and civilian houses collapsed.

Qinyuan: A school collapsed.

Yushe: A newly built school collapsed.

Zuoquan : A school of Prefecture toppled down.

Shilou: The Daiyue Palace main hall collapsed.

Puxlan: The Dongyue Temple collapsed.

Qinyang: Earth quaked violently in the 8th month. All the halls, corridors and side houses of Zhenze Temple were devastated.

Dingxiang: An old school at the county seat where had remained only the main hall and a stone-tablet pavilion further collapsed under shaking.

Taiyuan: The upper and lower monasteries of Fengsheng

Temple mostly collapsed.

Chaoyi: The County Hall collapsed. Shocks also struck Guoxian (in the 7th month), Daixian, Lishan, Qinxian, Wwdang, Xiangyuan, Warquan, Fencheng, Xinjiang (in the 7th year) and Ningxiarg.

Note: The recorded township-school collapsed in the 8th month at Panshi in the northeast of Caoxlan, Shandong Province, may not have been due to an earthquake.

(above from reference #3939)