Reports say the powerful storm made landfall at noon on Wednesday, near Zhuhai city in Guangdong province.
The storm was accompanied by strong winds and lashing rain, which brought the territory and nearby Macau to a standstill.
Eight people were killed in Macau; four were reported dead in mainland China, while another person remains missing.
The storm also resulted in forced closure of businesses, schools, train stations and airports, with only one airplane managing to land at Hong Kong’s normally busy airport yesterday.
