Yellow River

The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest river system on Earth, stretching about 5,464 kilometers. It begins in the Bayan Har Mountains and flows eastward, passing through several regions before emptying into the Bohai Sea. The river gets its name from the yellow color of its water, which comes from the lots of mud and sand it carries.

The Yellow River basin was where ancient Chinese civilization began. It provided rich soil for farming but also faced frequent floods over many years. Because of this, the river has been called both "China's Pride" and "China's Sorrow."

Today, the Yellow River supports many people. About 120 million people live in the basin, and over 420 million depend on it for water. China has worked on big projects, like the South–North Water Transfer Project, to help manage the river's water better.

Etymology

The Yellow River used to be called simply "the river." Over time, it became muddy, and people began calling it names like "murky river" and "yellow river." By the end of the Tang dynasty, the name Yellow River became the most common.

In different places and languages, the river has many names. In the Jin language, it is called "river, my lord." In Mongolian, it is called "yellow river" or "queen river." An old monument calls it the "green river," and in Tibetan, it is known as the "River of the Peacock."

History

Dynamics

See also: Yellow River floods

The Yellow River has been very important for the growth of northern China and is seen by many as where early civilizations began. However, the river has also caused a lot of damage through flooding. Some of the worst floods have led to the loss of many lives. Big floods happened in 1344, 1887, and 1931, causing huge numbers of deaths.

Floods happen because the river carries a lot of soft, sandy soil from the Loess Plateau. This soil builds up along the river bottom, making natural dams. When there is too much water, the river finds a new path to the sea, often flooding farmland and towns along the way.

In the past, people tried to control the floods by building higher walls along the riverbanks. But sometimes, when the water broke through these walls, it could not flow back into the river because the riverbed had become higher than the land around it. This made flooding even worse.

Cradle of civilization

See also: Yellow River civilization

In old Chinese stories, a giant named Kua Fu tried to drink from the Yellow River and the Wei River to satisfy his thirst while chasing the Sun. Historical records from very old times show that the Yellow River used to flow further north than it does today. These records talk about the river’s path through different areas before it reached the sea.

During a very old time period, a leader named Yu the Great was asked to control the river’s floods. Records describe how the river used to flow through many different places before reaching the sea, splitting into several channels along the way.

Shift of the Yu River

In 602 BC, the river changed its path and moved several hundred kilometers to the east. It burst its banks and found a new way to the sea. This was the first big change in the river’s path that people recorded. After this change, the river kept shifting its course over time.

Imperial times

From around the year 200 AD, the way people protected the land from floods changed. Leaders moved their defenses further up the river. In 923 AD, a leader named Duan Ning tried to protect his city by breaking river walls, which caused flooding in a large area but did not save his city.

Southern course period

From 1128 to 1855, the Yellow River did not flow to the Bohai Sea as it does today. Instead, it flowed southward, joining another river called the Huai River and emptying into the Yellow Sea near what is now Jiangsu Province. In 1128, soldiers broke the river walls to stop an enemy army, which caused the river to change its path. This new path stayed for many years.

Over time, the river’s new path caused problems, and many floods happened. Leaders tried different ways to control the river, but it kept changing course. In the 1600s, a big flood caused by breaking river walls to fight rebels destroyed a city and caused many deaths.

19th century through present

Between 1851 and 1855, the Yellow River returned to its northern path during a time of big uprisings in China. A flood in 1887 was one of the worst natural disasters ever, causing many deaths.

In 1938, during a war, soldiers broke the river walls to stop enemy troops. This caused a huge flood that covered a large area and caused many deaths. The river stayed on this southern path for a while, but later returned to its old course.

After a big change in China’s government in 1949, leaders made plans to control the river’s floods and use its water for farming. Work began in the late 1950s. By the 1990s, the river sometimes did not reach the sea for many days each year.

By August 12, 2024, the Yellow River had flowed continuously for 25 years thanks to careful water management. This has helped the environment, with more birds and healthier wetlands along the river’s mouth.

Geography

The Yellow River basin stretches about 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) from east to west and 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from north to south. It covers a total drainage area of roughly 795,000 square kilometers (307,000 square miles).

The river begins in the Bayan Har Mountains near the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai. It flows through several regions, including Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong. Major cities along its path include Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Wuhai, Baotou, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, and Jinan. The river empties into the Bohai Sea near Kenli County in Shandong.

The Yellow River is divided into three main sections: the upper reaches starting from its source, the middle section including the Ordos Loop and Loess Plateau, and the lower section crossing the North China Plain. These sections differ in landscape and characteristics, with the middle section being especially known for its heavy sediment load.

Characteristics

The Yellow River carries a lot of silt—1.6 billion tons each year when it leaves the Loess Plateau. This makes the river very muddy. During its rainy season from July to October, the river flows the most.

Because the river carries so much silt, its riverbed rises. This can sometimes cause floods if the river breaks out of its natural barriers. People have worked hard to build stronger barriers to control the floods.

Hydroelectric power dams

This section lists some important places where power is made using the force of water from the Yellow River. These places started operating in different years, starting from 1960. The biggest of these power stations together can make a lot of electricity.

Crossings

The main bridges and ferries along the Yellow River, listed by province from downstream to upstream, include:

Shandong

• Dongying Yellow River Bridge
• Shengli Yellow River Bridge (Dongying)
• Lijin Yellow River Bridge (Dongying)
• Binzhou Yellow River Road-Railway Bridge
• Binzhou Yellow River Highway Bridge
• Binzhou–Laiwu Expressway Binzhou Yellow River Bridge (Binzhou–Zibo)
• Huiqing Yellow River Bridge (Binzhou–Zibo)
• Jiyang Yellow River Bridge (Jinan)
• G20 Qingdao–Yinchuan Expressway Jinan Yellow River Bridge (Jinan)
• Jinan Yellow River Bridge
• Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge (Jinan)
• Jinan Jianbang Yellow River Bridge
• Beijing–Shanghai High-speed Railway Jinan Yellow River Bridge (Jinan–Dezhou)
• Beijing–Taipei Expressway Jinan Yellow River Bridge (Jinan–Dezhou)
• Beijing–Shanghai Railway Jinan Yellow River New Bridge (Jinan–Dezhou)
• Pingyin Yellow River Bridge (Jinan-Liaocheng)

Shandong–Henan

• Beijing–Kowloon Railway Sunkou Yellow River Bridge (Jining–Puyang)
• Juancheng Yellow River Highway Bridge (Heze–Puyang)
• Dongming Yellow River Highway Bridge (Heze–Puyang)

Henan

• Kaifeng Yellow River Bridge (Kaifeng)
• Zhengzhou Yellow River Bridge (Zhengzhou)

Shanxi–Henan

• Sanmen Yellow River Bridge (Sanmenxia)

Shaanxi–Henan

• Hancheng Yumenkou Yellow River Bridge

Ningxia

• Yinchuan Yellow River Bridge (Yinchuan)

Inner Mongolia

• Baotou Yellow River Bridge (Baotou)

Gansu

• Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge
• Zhongshan Bridge (Lanzhou)

Qinghai

• Dari Yellow River Bridge
• Jianzha Yellow River Bridge

Fauna

Fish

The Yellow River is home to many types of fish, with over 160 kinds found there naturally. Sadly, many of these fish are now rare or gone because of pollution, new species brought in, and too much fishing. Some fish can only be found in the Yellow River.

The river has many types of fish called Cyprinidae, with over 85 kinds. Other common fish include stone loaches, gobies, true loaches, and bagrid catfish. Some fish live only in certain parts of the river. For example, the upper parts of the river have special fish like snowtrout. In the lower parts near the sea, you can find fish that can live in both fresh and salty water.

Fishing is still important, but people are catching fewer fish now. Some big fish, like the Chinese paddlefish, have not been seen in the river for about 50 years. To help the fish, there is a fishing ban each year from April 1 to June 30. In some areas, fishing is banned completely until the end of 2025.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture, or farming fish and other water animals, is not as common in the Yellow River as in other rivers in China. However, it does happen in some places. One important area for aquaculture is near Xingyang, upstream from Zhengzhou. Since 1986, the town of Wangcun has grown to become a big center for fish farming.

Two kinds of turtles live in the Yellow River: the Chinese pond turtle and the Chinese softshell turtle. Both are often farmed for food. A special type of softshell turtle, called the Yellow River turtle, is very popular. Most of these turtles come from farms, not the river itself.

The Chinese giant salamander, a large aquatic animal, used to live in the Yellow River and other rivers in China. It is now very rare, mostly because people took them for food and medicine. These salamanders are farmed in many places in China, and most of them come from the Yellow River. When they are released back into the wild, they can spread to other rivers.

Flora

The Yellow River flows through many different places with various kinds of plants. You can find shrublands, steppes, forests, deserts, grasslands, and salty meadows along its path. The plants change depending on where you are. In areas where people have built things, there are fewer kinds of plants. Common plants there include seepweed, phragmites, foxtails, kunai grass, and tamerisk.

When parts of the river delta are left unused, some woody plants grow more, which can change the soil and affect the balance of nature in these wet areas. There are also special parks, like the Shangqiu Yellow River Ancient Course National Forest Park near Shangqiu, where people have planted forests to help bring back some of the region’s lost plant life. This park helps protect many different plants and animals, including some that are in danger.

Pollution

See also: Water pollution in China

In 2008, a report said that a big part of the Yellow River was too dirty for even simple uses like growing crops. This pollution comes from factories and waste from cities. By the time the river reaches the city of Xining, it is very dirty. Surveys showed that over a third of the river does not meet safety standards for any use, including drinking or farming. Most of the pollution comes from factories, with smaller amounts from homes and other places.

In culture

The Yellow River has inspired many poems and stories throughout history. It is often called "the Mother River" and "the cradle of Chinese civilization" because many important early Chinese communities lived near it. People have called the river both "China's Pride" and "China's Sorrow" because while it helped grow their nation, its floods also caused great trouble.

An old belief said the Yellow River came from Heaven and was connected to the Milky Way. One legend tells of a traveler who met a girl spinning and a cow herd and received a special gift that led to a discovery about the stars, the Weaving Girl (Vega) and the cow herd (Altair). The names of the provinces Hebei ("North of the River") and Henan ("South of the River") come from their positions relative to the Yellow River.

Tourism

The Yellow River has many places people like to visit, such as the Kanbula UNESCO Global Geopark in Qinghai, the Bingling Grottoes at Liujiaxia Dam, the Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu, and the Hukou Waterfall in Shanxi.

People have traveled the whole river by raft since 1986. Some have even walked or cycled the entire length of the river, though some parts are hard to reach.