In 1988, 1994 and, most seriously, 1996 there was severe flooding in Liuzhou. You can still see marks on many buildings in the centre indicating the July 19th 1996 water level. 

Below is a selection of pictures of the 1996 flood which I've managed to dig up. Sorry about the quality (they are mostly scans from old newspapers), but do I think they are interesting.

In the August 1988 flood, the flooded urban area was 24.17 km², which comprised 37.8% of the total built area of the city. The direct flood damage was 234 million RMB. In the June 17th flood in 1994, the flooded area was 30 km², with a direct economic loss of 2.17 billion RMB. On July 19, 1996, Liuzhou Flood Monitoring Station recorded a water line of 92.42 meters, which was 0.74 meter over the 100-year flood line (91.68 meters). It was 3.17 meters higher than the flood record of 89.75 meters in the June 17th, 1994 flood. The damage to the city cost 10.3 billion RMB.

After the 1988 flood, the City completed a flood control plan and design for 50-year flood control in November, 1989. However, the plan had still not been implemented four years later, resulting great flood damage in 1994. After the 1994 flood, Liuzhou was designated as a major city for flood prevention. It was estimated that 1.1 billion RMB was needed to build flood proofing  facilities. The City decided to fund the project by imposing taxes and fees under the name of the "Flood Proofing Construction Fund", but the facilities were never constructed because of the economic depression in local industries. Thus, the city was left with severe damage (10.3 billion RMB) after the 1996 flood. 

The authorities say the measures they have since taken make a repeat impossible, but I'm hanging on to my kayak!

Update: 24th July 2004

Glad I kept that kayak handy. Here are some shots of the 2004 floods.

The picture above, from 21st July 2004, compares well with the first photo above, from 1996

21st July 2004

More here and here. 

June 2005

Serious Flooding in Liuzhou

The most serious flooding for some years took place around the 20th of June, 2005. Four people were killed and hundreds made homeless.

More information on Liuzhou Floods 2005