The downpours in late July were triggered by Typhoon Gaemi, which moved on from the Philippines and Taiwan to make landfall in China, hitting the hilly, landlocked Hunan province particularly hard.
Last month, authorities in eastern China temporarily halted public transportation and evacuated almost 300,000 residents.
China has experienced a summer of severe weather, with heavy rains pouring down from the east and south and sweltering much of the north in subsequent heat waves.
At least 38 people were killed when a highway bridge collapsed in the northeastern state of Shaanxi last month as a result of heavy rains.
The nation’s top emitter of greenhouse gases is China, which contributes to climate change and increases the frequency and intensity of severe weather.