China has mobilized more than 20,000 military troops and reservists to help local people fight typhoon Wipha by reinforcing flood barriers along the main rivers.

Typhoon Wipha hit China's east coast near Shanghai in the early hours of Wednesday, killing one and injuring three others, toppling hundreds of homes, and damaging power and water supplies.

The weather was calm in Shanghai, a city of 17 million, on Wednesday morning, but the typhoon had already claimed a victim.