Yellow River
The Yellow River, with a total length of 5,464 kilometers, is the second longest river in China, just next to the Yangtze River. The Yellow River is the birthplace of ancient Chinese culture and the cradle of Chinese Civilization. It takes its source from the northern piedmont of the Bayanhar Mountain Range in Qinghai Province, meandering across 9 provinces and finally emptying into the Bohai Sea at Kenli of Shandong Province. Along the Yellow River Reaches, tourists can view the majestic resorts of the Yellow River and the unique scenery of the Loess Plateau.
The natural landscapes of the Yellow River are breathtaking and attractive, especially those in the Henan segment. As a huge dragon crouching on the central plains, the Yellow River begins to flow northward from Kaifeng City. The Zhengzhou segment of the Yellow River is broad and grand. Tourists acclaim the waves of the Yellow River as the acme of perfection. After entering Longmen, the steep precipices at both banks of the Yellow River seem to be cut by knife, and the river waves are surging and rushing forward. The supernatural power of the nature created various landscape resorts at the Sanmen Gorge where the Yellow River is surging inward and roaring forward and people can feel the perfect combination of gentleness and manly virility of the Yellow River.
Along the Yellow River, tourists can not only fully enjoy the natural scenery of the Yellow River, but also explore the Chinese history and culture. The multiplying and growing sites of Chinese ancients can be found along the Yellow River, such as the famous Yangshao Culture Site, the Birthplace of the First Ancestor Yellow Emperor, the Fuxi Mausoleum and the neighboring various cradles of surnames. The important ancient town Sanmen Gorge, the thousand-year-old ancient capital Luoyang, the commercial city Zhengzhou and the capital Kaifeng of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), etc. These are all the concrete exhibitions of the Yellow River culture, showing the rise and decline of China's history.
The main scenic spots of the Yellow River include the Ancient Overhanging Plank Road of the Yellow River, the Mainstay, the Hangu Pass, the Luoyang Peony, the Longmen Grottoes, the Guan Forest, the White Horse Temple, the Remains of the Commercial City Zhengzhou, the Xiangguo Temple, the Millennium City and the Yue Fei Temple, etc. Every scenic spot is rich in cultural connotations, making tourists truly feel the special charm of the Yellow River Culture. Other famous scenic spots in the Yellow River reaches include the Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an City, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206), the Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui region, the Haibao Pagoda in Yinchuan City, the Bingling Grottoes in the Liujia Gorge, Liangshan Mountain in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and Jinan, the City of Spring, etc.
Geography of Yellow River
According to China Exploration and Research Society, the source of the Yellow River is at 34 29 31.1N, 96 20 24.6E. The source tribituaries drain into Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake high in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in the far west of China. In the Zoige Basin along the boundary with Ganzu Province, the Yellow River loops northwest and then northeast before turning south, creating the "Great Bend", and then flows generally eastward across northern China to the Gulf of Bohai, draining a basin of 752,443 km2 (290,520 mi2) which nourishes 120 million people.
The river is commonly divided into three stages. However, different scholars have different opinions on how the three stages are divided. This article adopts the division used by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission.
Upper reaches
The upper reaches of the yellow River constitute a segment starting from its source in the Bayan Har Mountains and ending at Hekou County of Inner Mongolia just before it turns sharply to the north. This segment has a total length of 3,472 km (2,160 mi) and total basin area of 386,000 km2 (149,035 mi2), 51.3% of the total basin area. Along this length, the elevation of the Yellow River drops 3496 metres, with an average drop of 0.1%.
The source section flows mainly through pastures, swamps, and knolls between the Bayan Har Mountains and the Anemaqen (Amne Machin) Mountains. The river water is clear and flows steadily. Crystal clear lakes are characteristic of this section. The two main lakes along this section are Lake Bob and Lake Eling, with capacities of 4.7 billion and 10.8 billion m3, respectively. At elevations over 4,260 m (13,976 ft) above sea level they are the largest two plateau freshwater lakes in China.
The valley section stretches from Longyang Gorge in Qinghai to Qingtong Gorge in Gansu. Steep cliffs line both sides of the river. The water bed is narrow and the average drop is large, so the flow in this section is extremely turbulent and fast. There are 20 gorges in this section, the most famous of these being the Longyang, Jishi, Liujia, Bapan, and Qingtong gorges. The flow conditions in this section makes it the best location for hydroelectric plants.
After emerging from the Qingtong Gorge, the river comes into a section of vast alluvial plains, the Yinchuan Plain and Hetao Plain. In this section, the regions along the river are mostly deserts and grasslands, with very few tributaries. The flow is slow. The Hetao Plain has a length of 900 km (560 mi) and width of 30 to 50 km (20¨C30 mi). It is historically the most important irrigation plain along the Yellow River.
Middle reaches
The part of Yellow River between Hekou County in Inner Mongolia and Zhengzhou in Henan constitutes the middle reaches of the river. The middle reaches are 1,206 km (749 mi) long, with a basin area of 344,000 km2 (132,820 mi2), 45.7% of the total, with a total elevation drop of 890 meters (2,920 ft), an average drop of 0.074%. There are 30 large tributaries along the middle reaches, and the water flow is increased by 43.5% on this stage. The middle reaches contribute 92% of the river's silts.
The middle stream of the Yellow River passes through the Loess Plateau, where substantial erosion takes place. The large amount of mud and sand discharged into the river makes the Yellow River the most sediment-laden river in the world. The highest recorded annual level of silts discharged into the Yellow River is 3.91 billion tons in 1933. The highest silt concentration level was recorded in 1977 at 920 kg/m3. These sediments later deposit in the slower lower reaches of the river, elevating the river bed and creating the famous "river above ground". In Kaifeng, the Yellow River is 10 meters (33 ft) above the ground level.
From Hekou County to Yumenkou, the river passes through the longest series of continuous valleys on its main course, collectively called the Jinshan Valley. The abundant hydrodynamic resources stored in this section make it the second most suitable area to build hydroelectric power plants. The famous Hukou Waterfall is in the lower part of this valley.
Lower reaches
In the lower reaches, from Zhengzhou to the sea, a distance of 786 km (488 mi), the river is confined to a levee-lined course as it flows to the northeast across the North China Plain before emptying into the Bohai Sea. The basin area in this stage is only 23,000 km2 (8,880 mi2), 3% of the total. The total drop in elevation of the lower reaches is 93.6 m (307 ft), with an average drop of 0.012%.
The silts received from the middle reaches form sediments here, elevating the river bed. During 2,000 years of levee construction, excessive sediment deposits have raised the riverbed several meters above the surrounding ground. Few tributaries add to the flow in this stage; nearly all rivers to the south drain into the Huai River, whereas those to the north drain into the Hai River.
