386 (about July). The planet Jupiter was seen in the daytime in the west. T'ANG DYNASTY. 841. In the autumn, hailstorms destroyed houses and ruined crops. SUNG DYNASTY. 990. Great famine. YÜAN DYNASTY. 1295-6. Floods. 1297. Seventh moon. Great famine. [The Chinese year begins a month or more later than the European year. The word "moon" is used as an indication that the month is the lunar month, which alone is recognised in China.] 1330. Great famine. 1355. Locusts destroyed crops. MING DYNASTY. 1408. Earthquake, with a noise like thunder. 1506. Seventh moon, sixth day. Great floods, both from sky and ocean. Crops destroyed and soil impregnated with salt. 1511. Wandering brigands entered the district. Hearing the sound of artillery, they fled. 1512. Third moon, thirteenth day. The bell and the drum in the temple of Ch'in Shih Huang-ti on Ch'êng-shan[39] sounded of their own accord. Immediately afterwards, the temple was destroyed by fire, but the images remained intact. On the same day a band of roving robbers entered Wên-têng city. 1513. A flight of locusts darkened the sun. 1516. Drought and floods. No harvest. 1518. Famine and starvation. 1546. Floods. Ninth moon, second day: a hailstorm and an earthquake, with a noise like thunder. 1548. Great earthquake. Countless dwelling-houses overthrown. 1556. Between five and six in the morning of the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth moon (early in 1556) the sun produced four parhelia (mock-suns) of great brilliance. The northern one was especially dazzling. [The appearance of four parhelia was regarded as unusual enough to merit special mention, but old inhabitants of Weihaiwei say that two "sun's ears," as they are called, are comparatively often seen at sunrise. According to the local folk-lore, a single "ear" on the left side of the sun betokens high winds, while a single "ear" on the right foretells rain. If "ears" appear on both left and right, splendid weather for the farmers is to be expected.] 1570. Floods. All crops destroyed and houses flooded. 1576. Third moon, twenty-seventh day. Tremendous storm of wind and rain, and ruin of young crops. 1580. Landslips on the hills. 1585. Great famine. 1597. Earthquake and rumbling noise. From this year to 1609 there were no good harvests. 1613. Seventh moon, seventh day. At noon a black vapour came up from the north-east. There was a fierce wind and a great fall of rain. In the autumn there was a drought. 1615. A plague of locusts, resulting in the destruction of the crops. 1616. In spring, a great famine. Men ate human flesh. Free breakfasts were provided by the district-magistrate of Wên-têng, Chang Chiu-ching, and by the _chih-hui_ of Weihaiwei, T'ao Chi-tsu, whereby thousands of lives were saved.