With these changes, however, come some concerns. China is a land of topographic contrasts hosting great mountain ranges, vast deserts and major rivers. The Tibetan plateau is the largest massif on Earth – the so called third pole – with an average height of 4,500 m above sea level (Molnar, 1989). Its presence is the result of a great convergence of land masses fifty million years ago, as India pushed northwards into Eurasia. Today the results of this action dominate the nature of the landscape across China, while the forces resisting India’s northward push build stress and strain that result in devastating earthquakes. It is this threat, and the increased exposure to it, that must urgently be addressed.

Seismic hazard across China has been investigated using various methods but much remains to be done. There is now increased awareness, however, of the need to understand how vulnerable people and property are to future earthquakes. In the light of China’s continuing boom, further progress in the assessment of seismic risk is of paramount importance.

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