Yellow River
Cradle of Chinese civilization, source of devastating floods.
via Wikipedia: Yellow River · see source
The Yellow River—called Huanghe in Chinese—is China’s second longest river and the sixth longest in the world. It stretches roughly 5,464 kilometers (3,395 miles) and drains an area of about 795,000 square kilometers (307,000 square miles). Its source lies in the Bayan Har Mountains, from which it flows generally eastward. The river then enters the Ordos Loop, a 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) stretch that runs northeast through Gansu and across the Ordos Plateau before turning east in Inner Mongolia. After that, it makes a sharp turn south, forming the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. At its meeting with the Wei River, it heads east again, crossing the North China Plain and finally emptying into the Bohai Sea. The river gets its name from the yellow tint of its water, caused by the massive amount of sediment it picks up while cutting through the Loess Plateau.
This river basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization. Traditional Chinese history places the Xia dynasty along its banks around 2100 BC. According to Sima Qian’s *Shiji* (written around 91 BC), the Xia arose when local tribes banded together to fight the frequent floods in the area. The river has long provided rich soil for farming, but it has also flooded and changed course often. One count records 1,593 floods in the 2,540 years between 595 BC and 1946 AD. Because of this mix of benefits and destruction, the Yellow River has been called both “China’s Pride” and “China’s Sorrow.”
Today, the Yellow River basin is home to about 120 million people, and more than 420 million people live in the provinces that depend on it for water. The basin makes up 13 percent of China’s farmland. Rainfall in the region is uneven, and the river carries only 2 percent of China’s total water runoff. Since the 1970s, both water and sediment flow have dropped by five times. Until recently, the river often failed to reach the sea. To ease the strain on its water supply, China has been working on the South–North Water Transfer Project since 2003.
**Etymology**
When the Yellow River was still relatively clear, it was simply called “the river” (河, Old Chinese: *gâi). Observations at the Yumenkou gorge—where the river leaves the modern Loess Plateau—show that the water turned muddy sometime between 367 BC and 165 AD, according to historical records. The names “murky river” (濁河, *drôk-gâi) and “(muddy) yellow river” (黃河, *gwâŋ-gâi) appear in texts from 145 BC and 429 AD, respectively. By the end of the Tang dynasty, the name Yellow River had fully replaced Murky River, though the reason is unclear.
In the Shaanxi loess plateau, locals in the Jin language call it “river, my lord” (老爺河, [lo˦˩˨ i˧ xɤu̯˧]). In Mongolian, it is known as Šar mörön (Шар мөрөн, “yellow river”) or Khatan gol (Хатан гол, “queen river”). The Kul Tigin stele refers to it as the “green river” (Old Turkic: yašïl ügüz, 𐰖𐱁𐰞𐰽𐰺𐰍). Its Tibetan name is “River of the Peacock” (Tibetan: རྨ་ཆུ, Wylie: rma.chu, THL: Ma chu; also 玛曲; 瑪曲; Mǎ qǔ).
**History**
**Dynamics**
The river has been vital to northern China’s development and is seen by scholars as a cradle of civilization. Yet its floods have caused immense destruction, including several that killed over a million people. Among the deadliest were the 1344 Yellow River Flood during the Yuan dynasty, the 1887 flood under the Qing dynasty (which killed between 900,000 and 2 million people), and a 1931 flood during the Republic of China era (part of a series of floods that year that killed 1 to 4 million people).
These floods happen because the river carries huge amounts of fine-grained loess from the Loess Plateau, which settles on the riverbed. This sediment builds up into natural dams underwater—unpredictable and hard to detect. Eventually, the water must find a new path to the sea, taking the easiest route. When it breaks through, it bursts across the flat North China Plain, sometimes carving a new channel and flooding farmland, cities, and towns in its way.
The traditional Chinese response—building higher and higher levees—sometimes made floods worse. When water finally broke through, it could no longer drain back into the riverbed because the bed was often higher than the surrounding land. These changes could shift the river’s mouth by as much as 480 kilometers (300 miles), sometimes reaching the ocean north of the Shandong Peninsula and sometimes to the south.
Another historical cause of devastating floods is the collapse of ice dams upstream in Inner Mongolia, which releases huge amounts of trapped water all at once. Eleven such major floods have occurred in the past century, each causing heavy loss of life and property. Today, aircraft drop explosives to break up ice dams before they become dangerous.
Before modern dams were built in China, the Yellow River was extremely prone to flooding. In the 2,540 years from 595 BC to 1946 AD, it flooded 1,593 times, shifted its course noticeably 26 times, and severely changed course nine times. These floods include some of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. Before modern disaster management, drowning was an immediate danger, and many more people later died from famine and disease.
**Cradle of civilization**
In Chinese mythology, the giant Kua Fu drained the Yellow River and the Wei River to quench his burning thirst while chasing the Sun. Historical records from the Spring and Autumn period and the Qin dynasty show that the river at that time flowed considerably differently.
- length
- 5,464 km (3,395 mi)
- drainage_basin
- 795,000 km² (307,000 sq mi)
- source
- Bayan Har Mountains
- mouth
- Bohai Sea
- basin_population
- 120 million
- nicknames
- China's Pride and China's Sorrow
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Yellow River basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization. According to traditional Chinese historiography, the Xia dynasty originated on its banks around 2100 BC; Sima Qian's Shiji (c. 91 BC) record that the Xia were founded after the tribes around the Yellow River united to combat the frequent floods in the area. The river has provided fertile soil for agriculture, but since then has flooded and changed course frequently, with one estimate counting 1,593 floods in the 2,540 years between 595 BC and 1946 AD. As such, the Yellow River has been considered a blessing and a curse throughout history, and has been nicknamed both 'China's Pride' and 'China's Sorrow'. In Chinese mythology, the giant Kua Fu drained the Yellow River and the Wei River to quench his burning thirst as he pursued the Sun. Historical documents from the Spring and Autumn period and Qin dynasty indicate that the Yellow River at that time flowed considerably north of its present course. During the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (around the early 21st century BC), the Yellow River flooded repeatedly, and Yu the Great was ordered to control the waters. The Yu Gong records: 'Guiding the River from Jishi, it reached Longmen; southward to Huayin; eastward to Dizhu; then further east to Mengjin; passing east of Luorui, it reached Dapei; crossing north of Jiang River, it reached the Great Plain; then spreading northward into nine channels, they merged into the Inverse River and entered the sea.' This course is known as the 'Yu River.'
In the fifth year of the reign of King Ding of Zhou (602 BC), the river left these paths and shifted several hundred kilometers to the east. The Yellow River burst its banks and changed course at Suxu Mouth in Liyang, deviating from the original course of the Yu River. It then flowed into the sea at Zhangwu, marking the first major course change recorded since Yu the Great tamed the floods. Sabotage of dikes, canals, and reservoirs and deliberate flooding of rival states became a standard military tactic during the Warring States period. Major flooding in AD 11 is credited with the downfall of the short-lived Xin dynasty, and another flood in AD 70 returned the river north of Shandong on essentially its present course.
Reader's Guide
The Yellow River has long been critical to the development of northern China, and is regarded by scholars as a cradle of civilization. Flooding of the river has also caused much destruction, including multiple floods that have resulted in the deaths of over one million people. Among the deadliest were the 1344 Yellow River Flood, during the Yuan dynasty, the 1887 flood during the Qing dynasty which killed anywhere from 900,000 to 2 million people, and a Republic of China era 1931 flood (part of a massive number of floods that year that killed 1–4 million people). The cause of the floods is the large amount of fine-grained loess carried by the river from the Loess Plateau, which is continuously deposited along the bottom of its channel. The sedimentation causes natural dams to slowly accumulate. These subaqueous dams are unpredictable and generally undetectable. Eventually, the enormous amount of water needs to find a new way to the sea, forcing it to take the path of least resistance. When this happens, it bursts out across the flat North China Plain, sometimes taking a new channel and inundating most farmland, cities or towns in its path. The traditional Chinese response of building higher and higher levees along the banks sometimes also contributed to the severity of the floods: When flood water did break through the levees, it could no longer drain back into the river bed as it would after a normal flood, as the river bed was sometimes now higher than the surrounding countryside. These changes could cause the river's mouth to shift as much as 480 km (300 mi), sometimes reaching the ocean to the north of the Shandong Peninsula and sometimes to the south. Another historical source of devastating floods is the collapse of upstream ice dams in Inner Mongolia with an accompanying sudden release of vast quantities of impounded water. There have been 11 such major floods in the past century, each causing tremendous loss of life and property. Nowadays, explosives dropped from aircraft are used to break the ice dams before they become dangerous. The Yellow River's basin presently has a population of 120 million people, while over 420 million people live in the immediate provinces which rely on it as a water source. The basin comprises 13 percent of China's cultivated land area. The area receives uneven rainfall, only 2 percent of China's water runoff—water and sediment flow has decreased five-fold since the 1970s, and until recently, the river frequently did not reach the sea. Since 2003, China has been working on the South–North Water Transfer Project to alleviate the strain on the river's water supply.
Did You Know?
- The Yellow River is named for the yellow color of its water, which comes from the large amount of sediment discharged as the river flows through the Loess Plateau.
- According to Sima Qian's Shiji (c. 91 BC), the Xia dynasty was founded after tribes around the Yellow River united to combat frequent floods.
- One estimate counts 1,593 floods in the 2,540 years between 595 BC and 1946 AD.
- The river's mouth has shifted as much as 480 km (300 mi) due to floods and course changes.
- Since 2003, China has been working on the South–North Water Transfer Project to alleviate strain on the river's water supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Yellow River?
The Yellow River, also called Huanghe, is China's second-longest river and the sixth-longest river system on Earth, stretching roughly 5,464 km from the Bayan Har Mountains to the Bohai Sea.
Where does the Yellow River start and where does it empty?
It originates in the Bayan Har Mountains on the Tibetan Plateau and ultimately discharges into the Bohai Sea in northeastern China after a winding course that includes the famous 1,500 km Ordos Loop.
Why is the Yellow River nicknamed 'China's Sorrow'?
The river has a long history of catastrophic flooding and sudden course shifts that have devastated downstream communities, giving it that grim moniker alongside the more positive 'China's Pride.'
How long is the Yellow River and how big is its drainage basin?
It measures approximately 5,464 km (3,395 mi) in length and drains a basin of about 795,000 km² (307,000 sq mi), home to roughly 120 million people.
Why is the Yellow River called the cradle of Chinese civilization?
The fertile alluvial plains it deposited along its middle and lower course supported some of the earliest agricultural settlements in the region, making the basin the birthplace of one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations.
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