Trains were stopped, schools were halted and residents were evacuated in southern China as Typhoon Noul headed towards the coast.
The National Meteorological Centre issued an orange typhoon alert – the second highest level in a four-tier system – on Saturday morning as it moved northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of 20km/h (12mph).
It was expected to land somewhere between Hong Kong and Huilai county in eastern Guangdong overnight with wind speeds of up to 151km/h and then move north.
Strong winds and heavy rain have been forecast for parts of Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan, and the meteorological centre warned that boats should be docked and large gatherings cancelled, while urging residents to stay indoors as far as possible.
The typhoon arrives only two weeks after Maysak and Bavi, which caused havoc across large swathes of China – stretching from Guangxi in the far south to Jilin and Liaoning in the northeast – and caused at least 39 deaths.
Rail operators have started cancelling services in Guangdong and all trains will be halted by Sunday, the authorities said.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge remained open to traffic on Saturday morning but tours of the structure were halted for two days.