The Jiajing Guanzhong Earthquake in the Ming Dynasty, referred to as the Jiajing Earthquake, was a major earthquake that occurred on the twelfth day of the 34th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty in China (January 23, 1556).

Based on historical records, modern scientists infer that the earthquake at that time was 8.0 to 8.3 earthquake moments and 11 degrees of intensity. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province, and 97 counties were affected, including nine provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Huguang, Jiangsu and Anhui. Aftershocks occurred three to five times per month for half a year.

"History of the Ming Dynasty" records: " (Jiajing) In December 34th, there was an earthquake in Renyin, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan at the same time." At that time, "the earthquake broke the tiles, the flying sand suppressed, and the children of Wu Chi were all shocked." Because the earthquake occurred at midnight (midnight), most people were still asleep, so 830,000 people died, and the death toll was similar to the casualties caused by the flooding of the Yellow River. It is the largest earthquake in China recorded so far, and it is even more The deadliest earthquake in global historySixty percent of the population within a radius of 2,000 miles (800 kilometers) died. Han Bangqi, a retired former Nanjing military official at the time, and Ma Li, Qing of Nanjing Guanglu Temple, Lang Zhong Xue Zuxue, He Chengguang, the chief, Wang Shangli, Jin Shi Bai Dayong, Yang Jiuze, the imperial historian, and Wang Weizhen, the wine priest of Nanjing Guozijian, were killed on the same day. The rest of the unknown dead were even more numerous. It is reported that most of the dead lived in some cliff-side cave dwellings on the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province, and when the earthquake occurred, they were crushed by the collapsed cave dwellings. However, Western historians are skeptical of this figure.

Tang Xiren quoted Shunzhi's "Dengzhou Annals", pointing out that that night in Dengxian County and Neixiang, Henan Province,"we heard wind and rain coming from the northwest. Birds and animals were singing, and soon the earthquake was like thunder. "Huazhou Annals" compiled by Long Qingnian records: "At noon on the 12th (that is, Shen, which refers to between 3:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon), I felt the earth was spinning, so I felt dizzy, and the sky was faint. In the middle of the night, the moon became more and less light. The ground stood cramped, and the garden trees fell on the ground in numbers. Suddenly, the southwest was like tens of thousands of chariots rushing out of the earth. The people were in panic. Those who rose and slept lost their wits, and the houses collapsed silently. "Qin Ke recalled: " It was night, and I was shaken and awakened from a dream. I repeatedly couldn't put on the mattress. When I smelled the equipment near the couch, it seemed like a person was pushing it down. The roof tiles sounded loudly, and it looked like thousands of horses were galloping. At first, I suspected a demon, but in a short time, the wall I touched fell down. I began to realize that this earthquake was an earthquake. "'The number of people affected by the disaster is seven out of ten deaths in Tong and Pu, six out of ten deaths in Tong and Hua, five out of ten deaths in Weinan, four out of ten deaths in Lintong, and three out of ten deaths in provincial capital. In other prefectures and counties, the people who are stripped near and far are divided into depth according to the land."

"The Palace of the Virgin Mary in Bixia Wuqun¡¤The Record of the Earthquake" records: "In Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture, the four gates collapsed, the well water overflowed, the houses of officials and people collapsed, and many men and women were killed. The soil in the city is about ten feet long, and water flows out of the water on the flat surface. The Yamen of Anyi County collapsed, about eight cents of the houses were destroyed, killing more than 10,000 people and countless livestock. More than a dozen water springs burst out half a mile west of the city. Ronghe County has cracked the ground and formed a ditch, and the spring water is like a river. The imperial clans, city walls, and houses of the two kings of Puzhou all collapsed, and fires broke out in several places."

The earthquake caused the Yellow River to be clear and visible. History records that,"On December 12, 1934, the earthquake started from the northwest to the southeast, with a sound like thunder, the ground crack was more than ten feet wide, and the surging waves flooded, looking like the ocean, resting day and night. The houses and walls all collapsed, and half of the people died. This was a big disaster. By the 17th, the Yellow River will be clarified for three days, and people will see its bottom line."

The earthquake caused the water level to drop. Citing the personal experience of Yao Lu, the author of "Lu Shu" in the Ming Dynasty, Qiu Zhonglin recorded the phenomenon of groundwater level drop and ground temperature in Guanzhong after the earthquake:

"Guanzhong Wang Sun Changfang Recruits You (Chang'an) Qujiang, an uninhibited clan, said that Qujiang used to dig three feet into the ground and reach the spring, since the earthquake at the end of Jiajing, ten feet began to reach the spring; in the past there was no grass in winter, after the earthquake, winter and the original Qianqian, not special spring. Test it, believe it, the air of the cover gradually warms the ears."

On the other hand, he quoted He Mingjing's research on the earthquake, talking about the decrease in water level after the Guanzhong earthquake, only saying that after the earthquake in Weinan County, "the water spring was half full, but the orange gao was wasted"; and the Fenggu Temple in Huaxian County, the stone spring was dried up and abandoned, and the fish farming in the spring was interrupted.

The earthquake also caused damage to buildings. The original building of the Xiaoyan Pagoda was 15 stories high. After the earthquake, the top of the tower was destroyed, leaving only 13 floors. The Tang Gaozong Qianling Cemetery in Qian County was also completely destroyed.