Typhoon Saola swept across southern Guangdong on Saturday after tearing down trees and smashing windows in Hong Kong.

Packing winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour as a super typhoon, Saola was among the strongest to menace the southern province since 1949.

Mainland authorities said it was a severe typhoon, as it made landfall in Zhuhai overnight with winds slowing to around 160 kph.

Railway operations in Guangdong were allowed to gradually resume from 8.30 am on Saturday, the railway operator said.

In Macau, casinos were allowed to reopen from 8 am, the government said, after shutting Friday night.

One person was killed in Shenzhen after a tree fell and hit their vehicle, local media reported.

Authorities had evacuated more than 780,000 people from high-risk areas, while eastern Fujian province saw more than 100,000 moved to safer ground.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled, businesses closed, and transportation in and out of the affected areas have been halted. (Agencies)