Typhoon lashes eastern China

PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

Typhoon Soulik batters the east coast of China.

Rain and winds up to 118 kilometres an hour hit on Saturday after sweeping across Taiwan.

More than half a million people were evacuated before its arrival and thousands of troops were drafted in to help with the aftermath.

Passengers crowded counters at the main train station in Shanghai as trains heading south were cancelled.

Flights and ferry services were also disrupted in the affected areas.

Despite warnings of danger some braved the stormy conditions to watch the crashing of waves up to ten metres.

Soulik is expected to weaken and move inland to the north-west.

China's already been suffering severe floods during seasonal torrential rain that's left more than 200 dead or missing in the past week.