Every year, thousands of visitors and tourists gather to watch the soaring tide on the banks of Qiantang River in Haining, eastern China's Zhejiang province.

Tidal waves are seen each year at the river during the eighth month of the Lunar calendar, with the most violent tide reaching a height of nine metres (29.5 feet), according to the local media.

Qiantang River is one of the few places in the world where the tidal phenomenon occurs, when an incoming tide forms a wave that travels up a river against the direction of the river's current.

However, as Typhoon Nanmadol approaches eastern China, the tides and waves in Qiantang River recorded the highest level in 10 years on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Tropical storm Nanmadol headed for China on Monday, lost strength after drenching southern and eastern Taiwan, forcing evacuations, shutting businesses, disrupting transport but causing no major damage.

Heavy rains and strong winds caused by Typhoon Nanmadol led to severe flooding and landslides in the northern Philippines on Saturday, killing two people while two others remained missing.

Some of the latest pictures below show the soaring tides on the banks of Qiantang River and a few file photos depicting the unique tidal phenomenon.

Typhoon Nanmadol Hits Asia
Residents run away as waves from a tidal bore surge past a barrier and a vehicle on the banks of Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province August 31, 2011. As Typhoon Nanmadol approaches eastern China, the tides and waves in Qiantang River recorded its highest level in 10 years, local media reported. REUTERS/China Daily
Typhoon Nanmadol Hits Asia
Policemen and residents run as waves from a tidal bore surge past a barrier on the banks of Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang province August 31, 2011. REUTERS/China Daily
Typhoon Nanmadol Hits Asia
Local residents gather as they watch tides and waves of the Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang province August 30, 2011. REUTERS/China Daily
Qiantang River
Local residents run away from waves by a tidal bore surging past a barrier onto a road on the bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province August 17, 2011. The Chinese characters on the wall read "A moment of carelessness, a lifetime of pain." Qiantang River
Qiantang River
Mannequins are toppled over by the tide as a television crew films the scene along the banks of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province September 25, 2010. The mannequins act as warning guides to alert tourists of the rising tides. REUTERS/Steven Shi
Qiantang River
Visitors queue up before viewing the soaring tide near the bank of Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province September 25, 2010. REUTERS/Steven Shi
Qiantang River
Chinese tourists gather to watch the soaring tide on the bank of Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang province September 24, 2010. REUTERS
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