A strong earthquake has hit a mountainous region in south-western China near a famous national park, killing 13 people, injuring 175 others and crippling power and phone networks.

The Tibetan Plateau has an average elevation of 14,800 feet. Ben Nevis, the highest point in the British Isles, is 4,406 feet. Needless to say, most of us would struggle living in Tibet.

Floodwaters surging through Himalayan foothills in western China have swept bridges, houses and hillsides into surging brown rivers, leaving at least 19 people dead and dozens missing as heavy rains buffet many parts of the country.

More than 8,000km by bike, 25 marathons in 27 days, and now 6,500km down one of the world’s fastest flowing rivers in a raft.

China opened the first train service to Tibet on the world’s highest railway today, a controversial engineering marvel meant to bind the restive Himalayan region to China.