Quakes hit harder, but not as often

Nation was shaken 19 times, killing 37 and causing $2.2b in damage

China experienced fewer major earthquakes this year - but those that did hit were stronger than average, according to the latest data from the China Earthquake Administration.

The mainland had been rocked 13 times by quakes above magnitude 5.0 as of Friday, down from the annual average of 20, Liu Guiping, deputy director of the administration's China Earthquake Networks Center, said on Tuesday.