At 14:28 on May 12, 2008, an earthquake registering 8.0 on the Richter scale pounded southwest China’s Sichuan Province. With its epicenter located in Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, the quake rocked office workers in Shanghai, approximately 1,000 miles away; was felt by more than 10 provinces; and affected many provinces and cities, including Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hubei. The quake caused great casualties and inflicted severe damage to cities and towns. According to the preliminary government statistics, the death toll in the Wenchuan earthquake has reached 69,127, with another 373,612 people injured and 17,918 still listed as missing. So far, 45,710,965 people have been affected in some way by the earthquake.

Photo Courtesy Time + Architecture