The Yellow River is China's second longest river, measuring some 5464 kilometers (3,395 miles) in length. It is the world's 6th longest river.
The Yellow River is known in Chinese as Huang He and also as Huang Ho depending on spelling.
The drainage basin of the Yellow River, known as the Yellow River basin, is the third largest of all rivers in China, encompassing a surface area of around 750,000 square kilometers (290,000 square miles)(official: 742,443 km² (290,520 mi²).
It extends 1900 kilometers (1,180 miles) from West to East and 1100 km (684 miles) from South to North.
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Introduction to the Yellow River (Huang He - 黃河) - China's 2nd largest River
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Satellite Image and Map of the mouth of the Yelllow River, China's 2nd largest, at Dongying on the Coast of the Yellow Sea at Dongying in Shandong Province. Map overviews the last estimated 100 Kilometers o/t Yellow River including its final section and mouth.
The Path of the yellow river starts in Qinghai Province where a small spring originates from the foothills of Bayan Har Mountains in South Qinghai Province (East Tibet) not far from the border with Sichuan.
To be exact, the river springs from the Northern Slopes of the Bayan Har mountains in the Yekuzonglie-basin at a height of +/- 4500 meters.
The source section flows mainly through pastures, swamps, and knolls between the Bayan Har Mountains (巴顏喀啦山脈) and the Anemaqen (Amnye Machin) Mountains, and can only be reached by riding Animal or with use of tracked vehicles. In this very early section the river water is crystal clear and flows steadily and is known as "river of the peacock" (Tibetan: རྨ་ཆུ་; Wylie: r Ma chu, p maqu 玛曲).
The two main lakes along this section are Lake Bob (扎陵湖) and Lake Eling (鄂陵湖), both crystal clear. At elevations over 4,260 m (13,976 ft) above
Schematic Map of the Flow Path of the Yellow River through China.
Click Map to go to FULL Version !
Upon reaching Gansu Province for the second Time, the Yellow River meets what is known as the Central Chinese Loess Plateaux and the nature of the river changes dramatically. These are the middle reaches of the River. It is on the Loess Plateaux that the river acquires its famous Yellow Color, carrying millions of small dusty particles along on its stream.
Within Gansu the Huang He first flows towards the LiuJia Gorge (LiuJiaXia) which has now been dammed and turned into the large LiuJiaXia reservoir of the Yellow River. Traces of the ancient history and importance of this Gorge can be found nearby at the Bingling Si and Buddhist Caves.
Roughly due East of Xi'An, the ancient Han & Tang Dynasty Capital the Yellow River meets another province, the Province of Henan. Here, at the 'South Bend' of the Yellow River, the River Wei joins the Yellow River from the East temporarily diluting the yellow tint of its waters.
Near this points stands the White Horse Temple - Bai Ma Si, hailed as the first Buddhist Temple ever to be established in China. According to records it was founded in the year 1 AD.
Beyond the South Bend is the Sanmen Gorge (Sanmenxia), today a dammed section of the Yellow which has given rise to the large Sanmenxia Reservoir.
Nearby is the City of Luoyang which lies on the Luo River a little bit upstream from where it empties itself into the Yellow River, joining it from the South at this point.
The next large City along the river is Zhengzhou, the Capital of Henan Province. This City of 6+ Million souls is situated along the South Bank at some 25 kilometers distance from today's riverbed. It was near Zhengzhou at Huayuankou Village that General Chiang-Kai Shek ordered the levies of the Yellow River to be broken leading to the great flood of 1938 AD. Although intended to stop a further Japanese Invasion the flood did far more damage to the Chinese and their economy.
Further downstream is Kaifeng, and old Imperial Capital which was the most
After passing through Northern Henan Province, the Yellow River meets Shandong Province near the Town of Dongming where a large highway bridge spans over its waters connecting both Provinces. From Dongming onwards the Yellow River forms the border between both provinces for around a 100 kilometers until reaching Banjiudian Town and continuing into Shandong in a North-Easterly direction.
The river passes through Jinan, the Capital of Shandong Province, and Beizhen City before emptying itself into the Laizhou Bay of the Bohai Sea on the Northern Coast of the Shandong Peninsula (Province).
Map 1 of the Silk Road during the early Tang Dynasty Era. Clearly depicts the North & South Routes West of Dunhuang as well as the lost civilizations of Loulan and Hotan.
Roughly halfway through the loess plateaux lies the City of Lanzhou, an important industrial city and for many centuries a central communications point for the larger region. In history Lanzhou was the point where the main pathway of the Silk Road leading westward out of Chang'An (Xi'An) in Shaanxi Province met the important barrier of the Yellow River. Having to await their chance for crossing -depending on season- many travelers and traders, among them famous names, halted on the South River bank where a commercial center and eventually a large city emerged. Today this City, Lanzhou, is a city of millions at the bottom of the deep Gorge carved by the river into the Loess Plateux. The City of Lanzhou counts over 1.6 Million inhabitants crammed together along the narrow river banks. The main section of the City lies on the South Bank.
On the North Bank across the Zhongshan Bridge that marks this ancient
The Province of Gansu is famed for it steep and narrow Gorges that force the river into a wild torrent with many vortexes, rapids and hidden dangers. The first such Canyon or Gorge is the Longyang Gorge (in Qinghai), where the Yellow River passes from Qinghai (Eastern Tibet) into Gansu Province. In total there are 20 gorges and river rapids in this most dangerous of all Yellow River sections. The (historically) most spectacular yellow river Gorges are found at Longyang, in western Gansu Province at Jishi and Liujia, and downstream from the Capital of Lanzhou at Bapan, and the last; the Qingtong Gorge (Bronze Gorge - 青銅峽) where the Yellow River leaves the Loess Plateux behind it.
The steep Gorges and large elevation drops of the Loess Plateaux section of the River make it impassable for any type of shipping but ideal for the construction of Dams. Hence, in the last Half Century many of the Gorges and their rapids have been dammed, in order to both regulate the tempestuous river and make use of its hydro-electric energy potential. The first dam to emerge in the region was the Xintong Gorge Dam activated in 1968 AD and giving rise to the Qingtong Gorge Reservoir of the Yellow River (in Ningxia AR). Since, the LiuJia Gorge has also been dammed leading to the LiuJiaXia reservoir south-West of Lanzhou.
Yellow River and Henan Province:
sea level they are the largest two plateau freshwater lakes in China. From the Bayan Har mountains the river flows and swirls through across the eastern Tibetan plateaux to curve around the Amnye Machin Mountains and even reach the border with Sichuan Province in the far South-East of the Tibetan Plateaux.
Yellow River in Shaanxi Province:
Yellow River in Gansu Province:
Yellow River in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region:
It is within Ningxia Autonomous Region that the Yellow River meets the Great Wall of China for the first Time. Another crucial geographic feature is the Bronze Gorge. Dammed in 1968 AD, the Bronze Gorge (Qing Tong Xia) is now the Xintongxia Reservoir of the Yellow River and of vital importance to both agriculture and the electric energy supply in the wider region.
Where the Gobi Desert meets the Green of the Yellow River valley at Shapotou （沙坡頭） and Zhongwei the river slows down to a leisurely pace. Nearby is the Zhongwei Site of the Great Wall of China and beyond and around lies what is known as the Ningxia Plain (or Yinchuan Plain and Hetao Plain) of the Yellow River. Although surrounded by Sandy deserts and arid wastelands, this is one of the most important agricultural regions in China.
From Shapotou and Zhongwei the river gently curves northward flowing through the Yellow River plain which sits wedged between two desert regions. The Tengger, a sandy extension of the Gobi Desert in the West and the so-called Ordos Desert in the East.
Numerous historical sites dot this region.
The Yellow River enters Shaanxi Province in the extreme North-East at Hequ Village. The Yellow River does not flow through Shaanxi Province, but rather around it. After cutting through the Ningxia Plain and turning eastward at the resoundings sands gorge in Inner-Mongolia the yellow river continues through the Inner-Mongolia Autonomous Region then turns due South to form the border between Shaanxi Province in the West and Shanxi Province in the East.
On this south-ward section lie various historic sites and one of the wonders of the river. Counted as one of the Great Sceneries in Shaanxi (and Shanxi Province) is the point of the interruption of the Great Wall of China by the Yellow River at Pian Guan (North-West Shanxi + Shaanxi Border). This location is known as the Great Yellow River at Old Ox Bend. On a Cliff overlooking its Banks stands the Great Wall of China which has its most spectacular watchtower and views here.
The wonder in case are the Hukou Falls of the Yellow River. Hukou Falls can be found just west of the Town of YiXian on the West-Shanxi and East-Shaanxi Border.
Yellow River in Inner-Mongolia Autonomous Region:
After passing through the 'Northern Great Wall' in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region the Yellow River continues its course northward into Inner-Mongolia Autonomous Region. Within Mongolia the Yellow River is known as 'Hatan Gol', the Queen river.
The first City along the yellow river in Inner-Mongolia is Wuhai. The next is Linhe, where the river is deflected by the High Mountains of Lang Shan and Yin Shan, turning almost 90 degrees into the resounding Sands Gorge, a spectaculair scenic spot in the Region.
From the Resonant Sands Gorge the yellowed waters flow slowly eastward for some 320 kilometers before turning again by 90 degrees and heading towards the south forming the line of Shaanxi-Shanxi Border. Along this 'horizontal' stretch of the Yellow River lies the important City of Baotou, a major industrial center of the North.
Overview of the Length and Path of the Great Wall of China of the Ming Dynasty. Includes links to Cities and Great Wall of China Passes. - Click Map for Full Version !
The total length of the Yellow River inside the Ningxia Plain is around 900 kilometers (560 miles), entering at Shapotou and exiting via Huinong and Lasengmiao Towns of Shizuishan City Prefecture .
The Qingshui River (清水河) joins the Yellow River from the South as a tributary between Zhongwei and Zhongning. The Kushui River, another tributary joins the Yellow River between Daba and Yesheng Towns, just North of the Bronze Gorge Hydro-electric Dam and near the largest bridge across the river in the region.
The largest Bridge on the Yellow River in Ningxia is the Taole Yellow River Expressway Bridge (陶乐黄河大桥) which is located some ways south of the regional Capital Yinchuan near Xingtongxia and Litong. A second recently constructed bridge is the Zhongning Huanghe Highway Bridge, a part of the Jinzhang Expressway in South-West Ningxia. In total Six highway bridges have been built to arc across the 397-kilometer section of the Huanghe River flowing through Ningxia, averaging one bridge on every 66 kilometers of the river course. Currently construction of the seventh bridge is under way.
At about 2/3 through the Bronze Gorge Reservoir the great river arrives at Helan Shan (賀蘭山), a high mountain range which serves as natural barrier that protects the Yellow River from the encroaching sands of the Tengger Desert.
Underneath the Mountains on the Western bank lies Ningxia Autonomous Region's Capital City of
The river forms the border with Sichuan Province for only a short stretch, then enters Gansu Province before re-entering Qinghai and flowing due Northward to arrive at Xining, the Capital of the Province. From there it is only a short distance eastward to reach the Gansu Province border where the mountainous upper 1/3 of the Yellow River comes to its end.
Scenes from the Banks of the Yellow River at Lanzhou in Gansu Province (November 2007).
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The end-point of the Yellow River outlet has changed its location many times over the last 2.500 years. Various factors are involved. Due to a natural process, the slowing of the River inside the North China Plain helps the deposition of silt in the downstream area's. As a result the level of the flow-plain is raised, leading eventually to 'clogging' and a change in the flow-path and direction of the River.
The First recorded shift of the River was around 500 BC when it changed course to take a more Southern route to the Bohai Sea.
It is said that the mouth of the river shifted some 800 kilometers (500 miles) since.
As one of the major fertile regions in the Nation, the North China Plain has always been a densely populated and as such has seen its fair share of floddings and disaster. For 1000's of years mankind has attempted to control and regulate the river, leading to an extensive system of levies and dykes along its river bed in Shandong Province.
Although useful in the short term, in the long term the dykes and levies have only served to increase problems. Not only have Silt deposits raised the river bottom over the many years past, leading to increased danger of overflowing and course change. Building of levies and dykes has also created a situation in which any excess of water in the River has no place to go. Without a 'buffer capacity' the Yellow River Delta remains volatile for the recurring floods of the River.
The last major shift of the flow-bed occurred in the year 1887 AD, when the river changed course dramatically, overflowing its levies and choosing a path more southernly than beforehand. Hundreds of
A Schematic depiction of the major and minor course changes and partial floodings of the Yellow River in the North China Plain.
thousands were drowned and many more displaced in the event.
The old riverbed(s) of the river can still be traced clearly on satellite images of the region .
At other times the river overflowed to join up with nearby rivers and continue its course to the Sea, leading to only local course changes.
Currently the mouth of the Yellow River lies near the Town of Dongying on the Shandong coastline.
Satellite Image Map of the Entire Gobi Desert Region. Map overviews North-Eastern Qinghai Province, Gansu Province, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and North and North-Eastern China giving a Full Overview of the Gobi Deserts and a large part of the flow and path of the yellow river.
Yinchuan from where it is only some 50 kilometers to the Helan Pass into Inner-Mongolia and its historic Great Wall of China at Sanguankou (Helan Pass). Even more noteworthy are the so-called Helan Shan rock paintings evidence of early civilizations making use of the abundance offered by the Yellow River and its fertile plain.
Yinchuan, Ningxia's remote Capital is served by the yellow river port of Hengcheng. From this point the Yellow River used to be navigable upstream to the Bronze Gorge (Qingtong Xia) on the Gansu Border and downstream as far as Baotou in Inner-Mongolia AR. Today, this is no longer the case. However, river barges still ferry raw materials up and down the river over shorter distances.
Visit the Sand Lake (Sha Hu) famous scenic area between Yinchuan and Dawukou, a rare last refuge for wildlife and migratory birds in the Region. Although protected as a national level A1 wildlife park, pollutions of various sorts are rampant in this region. Especially the metal smelteries in the region and the coal fired electric plant at Dawukou are culprits which have been reprimanded by the (National) Government. In spite of the adversities the wildlife hangs on - drawing tens
After passing Yinchuan and the Great Wall of China at Dawukou (Shizuishan) the river once again meets the Gobi Desert Sands. This is the border with Inner-Mongolia, in the past a dangerous zone exposed nomadic raiding parties, and worse: full scale invasions.
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DVD Documentary in which Academy Award-winner Ben Kingsley narrates ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH, a PBS documentary about the political and cultural history of one of the world's greatest religions.. - Click Here
You Tube Video: Great Yellow River Impression
Several smaller and larger tributary rivers join the Yellow River while it flows between the Provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi. The first of these is the Kuye River, flowing from via Shenmu City south-eastward to join the Huang He at the Luoyu Gorge and Luoyukouzhen Village. Another tributary joins the Yellow River from the East and Shanxi Province at the same point.
The second tributary joining from the West is Tuwei River which joins up somewhat further south at Wujia Maocun farming town. The Tuwei flows out of Hongjian Nur, a salted lake on the Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Border, then crosses the Province to empty in the great river. A Third and smaller tributary, the Jialu River flows out of Shaanxi just North of the Baiyun Mountain (Due West of Linxian in Shanxi, across the River). Several other small rivers join up before the River reaches Hukou Falls. The Houhe, the Wuding He, Shijia River etc.
Downstream from the Hukou Falls, roughly at the entrance of the Sanmenxia Reservoir the Yellow River is joined from the East by a major Tributary, the river Fen.
Soundbonus - Theme from The Great Yellow River (Film Documentary), by Kitaro.
You Tube Video: Luoyang in Henan - White Horse Temple (Bai Ma Si) & Huang He
important City in China during the Song Dynasty (960 AD - 1126 AD) and is especially prone to floodings of the River. The Old City was been flooded no less than 368 times during the years between 1129 AD and 1938 AD leaving the ancient monuments of the city buried underneath 8 to 20 meters of loess and mud. In 1938 however, the River once more changed its course leaving the current city center at some 10 kilometers distance from its banks.
The City of Kaifeng is often taken as the point where the Yellow River starts the last 1/3 of its journey and enters the North-Chinese plain. Inside the North-China plain the yellow river flows in a North-Eastern direction and is heavily levied, as it has been for centuries.
crossing point of the Yellow River, in use by mankind for well over 2000 years, stands the Baita Shan, the White Horse Hill. Along its flanks sit a Park and various traditionally styled buildings and pavilions and atop the Hill sits the Baita Si , White Horse Temple with its Yuan Dynasty Era stone Dagoba Pillar. The various levels of the Park and temple offer an unparalelled view of the great Yellow River and the City built along its banks.
There are several large bridges crossing the River Today. One of the old Bridges in the City, the small Zhongli Huanghe Bridge was torn down in 2007 AD having been made redundant by the others and a large highway bridge, the Donggang Huanghe Bridge, that crosses the River near the Eastern (downstream ) end of the 'downtown' area connecting to the North Bank, the Luizhong Expressway and Lanzhou-Zhongcuan Airport beyond to the North.
View of the Yellow River snaking through 'Jinshan Valley' of the Yellow River on the border of Shaanxi and Shanxi Province.
The River Fen can be seen in the forefront on its way to join the Yellow River near the head of the Sanmenxia Reservoir. - Click Image to Enlarge -
Baotou is a city of over 2 million which has few landmarks and lies among bleak semi-desert regions with few recognizable features other than low hills and abundant but arid grasslands and steppes. Before the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China and the development of heavy industry in the North, there were only empty grasslands, sporadic trees and some swamp area's along the slow flowing yellow river. Deer were abundant in this region owing the City its name 'Land with Deer'.
Since, much has changed and Baotou has become a major industrial center as well as a transportation hub for person and cargo. Railroads lead in all direction, among them to Beijing at some 817 kilometers distance.
In 1958 AD the City of Baotou was connected through a railway to Yinchuan in Ningxia and the City of Lanzhou on the Yellow River in Gansu Province beyond, finally unlocking the remote far western regions. One can follow the railroad all the way from Baotou, upstream, to lead around the Great Bend of the Yellow River and among things- pass through Resounding Sands Gorge. It is one of the most famous and scenic railways in the Nation which runs near or alongside the River at many points.
A steel Mill stands along the Yellow River as part of the Western Section of the 20+ kilometers long city spread along the North Bank of the Huang He. Four Tributary rivers flow down through the urban zone(s) of Baotou in a north-south direction to empty in the Yellow River, which at this point is a wide, shallow and slow flowing stream. These are the Kundulun River, the Sidoasha River, the Erdaosha River and the Dong He, a smaller stream. Just 15 miles beyond the City of Baotou a further fifth tributary , Hashen Lachuan, joins from the South. Further along a second small tributary as well as the Husitai River flow in from the south to add to the waters of the Yellow River.
Some 60+ miles downstream from Baotou near Togtoh the Yellow River is crossed by the Huanghe Superlarge Bridge, part of the S103 Huba Expressway Toll road leading northward to Hohhot. After passing the super-modern and super-large bridge the great Yellow River makes its '90 degrees' turn southward near a place called Lamawanzhen. Beyond this point lies the 'Jinshan Gorge' of the Yellow River, a narrower and often fast-flowing section famous for its historic landmarks as well as the one major waterfall on the entire length of the Great River.
You Tube Video: China on the Move - the Yellow River in Ningxia - CCTV
of thousands of nature lovers each year.
In extreme North of Ningxia (Taole County) a fourth tributary joins the Yellow River flowing in from the East. This is the Dustin Gol, a small river that flows out of the Ordos Basin.
The unusually large amount of mud and sand discharged into the river makes earning the Yellow River its name, make it 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 and the highest silt concentration level was recorded in 1977 at 920 kg/m³. Most of the Loess silt deposits, around 95%, are derived from the middle reaches of the River.
The Yellow River is usually divided into three distinct sections; its upper reaches, roughly one third that is also known as the Mountainous Section of the River. The Second section starts upon the rivers' second entry into Gansu Province. From there onwards the river flows through its middle reaches, its longest section which trajects four provinces and two autonomous regions.
The Third and last part are the lower reaches which again cover roughly 1/3 third of the total length of the river. At Kaifeng the Yellow River meets the North China plain and flows slowly among levies to its termination point on the coast of the Shandong Peninsula.
Google generated Satellite Image Map of the Longyangxia Dam, and China's 2nd largest hydro-electric dam in Qinghai Province. Today a new tourist attraction. Much of the historic sites along the Historic Longyang Gorge o/t Yellow River were forever destroyed and/or submerged beneath the Dam Lake.
