Yellow River
For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation).The
Yellow River (|w=Hwang-ho}}, sometimes simply called the River in ancient Chinese) is 5464
km long and is the second longest
river in
China, after the
Yangtze as of 2006
[Chinese history recorded that Yellow River has changed its course 18 times]. The Yellow River is also known as "China's Sorrow" because of its frequent flooding.
The
Wei River and
Fen River are the chief tributaries of the Yellow river.
Hydroelectric power dams were built across the Yellow River at
Liujia Gorge,
Lanzhou,
Sanmen Gorge, and
Xiaolangdi.
Originated from the
Bayankala Mountains, the Yellow River now passes nine
provinces, namely
Qinghai,
Sichuan,
Gansu,
Ningxia,
Inner Mongolia,
Shaanxi,
Shanxi,
Henan and
Shandong. The mouth of the Yellow River is located at
Dongying,
Shandong.
The provinces of
Hebei and
Henan derive their names from the
Huang He. Their names mean respectively "north" and "south of the (Yellow) River".
Major cities located along the Yellow River include (starting from the source):
Lanzhou,
Wuhai,
Baotou,
Kaifeng, and
Jinan.
The river is extremely prone to
flooding. It has flooded 1593 times in last 3000-4000 years, while its main course changed 18 times and created some of the highest death tolls in Chinese history.
Beginning in 1194, the Yellow River to the north changed its course southwards to run into the
Huai River, and changed back and forth several times over the next 700 years. The resulting silting was so heavy that after the Yellow River changed back to its northerly course for the last time in 1897, the Huai He is no longer able to go through its old course. Instead it pools up into
Hongze Lake, and then runs southwards towards the Yangtze River.
*Sinclair, Kevin. 1987.
The Yellow River: A 5000 Year Journey Through China. (Based on the television documentary). Child & Associates Publishing, Chatswood, Sydney, Australia. ISBN 0-86777-347-2
*"China's Sorrow." Times Past: Pausing to Remember.
.*Yellow River Home Page at UMassD
*Yellow River delta Information at LSU
*Listen to the Yellow River Ballade from the Yellow River Cantata*Grand Canal of China
*Geography of China
*North China Plain
*Loess Plateau
*List of rivers of Asia
*List of rivers in China
*Water resources of China
*Yellow Sea
*Yellow River Cantata
