Another 9,000 people were evacuated from Chongming, an island in the mouth of the Yangtze River that is part of Shanghai.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled as the city’s two main airports suspended all flights. Train services were also cancelled and highways were closed. A 40 km/h (25 mph) speed limit was imposed on roads within the city.
Shanghai’s 25 million residents were advised to stay home as the storm swept through the city.
Authorities have issued a red alert for Bebinka, the highest level, as wind speeds of up to 151 km/h (94 mph) were recorded in the eye of the typhoon. It is expected to weaken as it moves inland.
Footage posted online shows large trees falling and people being dragged through flooded streets on bicycles and motorbikes. Footage shared by Shanghai Daily, external A bus is seen coming to an abrupt halt along Huaihai Road, a major shopping street, as a billboard flapping in the wind collapses.
The storm was one of the most discussed topics on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday, with some users sharing concerns that the storm could get worse.
“This is something you only see on TV,” one Weibo user wrote, posting footage of trees shaking violently in a parking lot.
Another user advised others to keep doors and windows properly locked and not to go out of the house unnecessarily.
Shanghai is rarely directly hit by strong typhoons, which usually make landfall in southern China.
The city’s flood control center said it had received dozens of reports of storm-related incidents, mostly downed trees and billboards.
Resorts in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disney Resort, Jinjiang Amusement Park and Shanghai Wild Animal Park, have temporarily closed, and many ferries have been suspended.
At least four people were killed and 95 injured this month as Typhoon Yagi passed through China’s southern island of Hainan, according to the country’s meteorological agency.
Hurricane Yagi caused severe flooding in Southeast Asia, killing hundreds in Vietnam and Myanmar.
Typhoon Bebinka passed through Japan and the central and southern Philippines, where it felled trees and killed six people.
Chinese state media reported that Bebinka was expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces as it moved northwest.
With additional reporting from Kelly Ng of BBC News.
