Classes were cancelled, parks closed and more than 410,000 people relocated in preparation for the landing of Super Typhoon Yagi in southern China.
It landed at 4.20pm on Friday in Wenchang, Hainan province, after being closely monitored for days, state broadcaster CCTV reported, with the maximum sustained winds near the centre reaching 223km/h (138 miles per hour).
A video from the Hainan Broadcasting Group showed a water heater falling from a building, and trees bending in the wind, as the outskirts of the typhoon reached the island.
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The typhoon is predicted to continue moving northwest, crossing Haikou, Chengmai and Lingao before moving to the sea between midnight and Saturday morning.