Beijing - Parts of south-eastern China were expecting more than 200 millimetres of rain Tuesday after Typhoon Fung Wong hit land in Fujian province.

The eye of the typhoon landed late Monday near Donghan town, packing winds of up to 119 kilometres per hour, provincial meteorologists said.

The typhoon, which had earlier caused deaths in the Philippines and Taiwan, was forecast to weaken into a tropical storm as it moves inland Tuesday and Wednesday in China, but several provinces have been put on alert for possible flash floods and landslides.

Fujian and neighbouring Zhejiang province evacuated more than 500,000 people from vulnerable areas Monday and called back to port about 80,000 fishing boats.

Hundreds of air passengers were stranded after the main airport in Fuzhou, Fujian's capital, cancelled 49 flights and delayed others.

Fung Wong, which means Phoenix, is the eighth tropical storm to hit China's coast and the strongest so far this year.

In Taiwan, the typhoon forced schools and offices to close across the island while causing power outages and flooding Monday. Air and rail service was cancelled or disrupted.

During its passage through Taiwan, the typhoon left at least one dead and six injured.

It also hit the Philippines at the weekend, killing four people, including a 3-year-old boy, and leaving five missing. (dpa)