China's written history reveals a country that has suffered dearly from earthquakes over the centuries. One third of China is considered vulnerable to earthquakes.' According to various accounts, more than 3,000 major earthquakes have occurred over the past 3,000 years, an average of one a year. This figure undoubtedly understates the frequency of seismic activity in remote regions beyond the effective control of Chinese governments and in periods for which the historical records are incomplete.2 The toll in human lives and property has been enormous. It is estimated that 830,000 people were killed in the earthquake of 1556 centered in Huaxian, Shaanxi, and over 100,000 died in the Gansu earthquake of 1920. In more recent times, 272, 576 people are reported to have been killed as a result of earthquake activity in the 1949-1979 period. The contemporary record is dominated by the 1976 earthquake that leveled the major industrial city of Tangshan and brought terror to Beijing and the rest of north China. The official toll for this earthquake is 242,000 dead and two billion dollars in damage, but the unofficial count of almost 700,000 dead is given credence even by Chinese engineers.3