It was the worst of times when Typhoon Haikui landed in Zhejiang province, and people hunkered down. But it was also the best of times for weather enthusiasts, who had been anxiously waiting for the deadly phenomenon since it formed on Aug 3.

Shao Jun, 24, was one of them.

"It's not often that a typhoon hits Shanghai, and that's why a few members of our club got excited and started to discuss questions such as how intense Haikui would be and where exactly it would land," said the young man, who works full time at an auto parts company in Shanghai.