Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world's most destructive earthquakes.

Xining is the capital and most populous city of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants, of whom 1,954,795 lived in the built-up area made of 5 urban districts. The city lies in the Huangshui River Valley, also known as Tsongkha, and owing to its high altitude, has a cool climate on the borderline between cool semi-arid and dry winter humid continental.

The 1927 Gulang earthquake occurred at 06:32 a.m. on 23 May. This 7.7 magnitude event had an epicenter near Gulang, Gansu in the Republic of China. There were 40,912 deaths. It was felt up to 700 km (435 mi) away.