The "Nine Winds and Eighteen Bends" of the Yellow River

The Yellow River’s “Nine Bends and Eighteen Bends”

The main stream of the Yellow River has many twists and turns, so it is known as the “Nine Bends of the Yellow River”. "Qu" originates from Tibetan and means "river". The Tibetan people living in the upper reaches of the Yellow River have given many distinctive names to the river sections in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, such as Kariqu, Zhaqu, Maqu, etc., based on the terrain and landscape of the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

We often say that the Yellow River has nine bends and eighteen bends, which describes the winding state of the Yellow River throughout its journey. However, the Yellow River flows through 33 prefecture-level cities in 9 provinces, flowing through three levels of stairs, and it is more than just "nine twists and turns"!

The source of the Yellow River is KaRiqu at the northern foot of Bayan Har Mountain in Qinghai Province. After flowing out of Qinghai Province, it flows eastward through Zoige County in Sichuan Province and joins the Baihe River. Two rivers, the Yellow and the White, compete for their flow. The water of the Yellow River is like a flying ribbon. It caresses gently in Sichuan and then turns around and floats back to Qinghai, forming the first bend of the magnificent Nine-Meander Yellow River, facing Gansu Province across the river. This It is also the only section of the Yellow River that flows through Sichuan Province. Then the Yellow River turns eastward in Qinghai Province, entering Gansu Province from Yumin and Guanting Towns in Hui and Tu Autonomous County, passing through the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and entering the Loess Plateau, forming a second huge meander. During this process, the Yellow River made two big turns, forming a large "S" shape, like a giant dragon lying on the highest altitude area in my country, overlooking the motherland from the source of the Yellow River.

After bending in an "S" shape, the Yellow River flows northwest into the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, then continues northward into the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and flows through the Hetao Plain, where the highly geographically recognizable Inner Mongolia is formed. The "Ji" bend section of the Yellow River. This section of the river fully demonstrates the thickness of the Yellow River culture where the Chinese civilization’s farming culture and nomadic culture converge and develop. The blue sky and white clouds, birds and fish, clear water, golden sands, and rippling reeds are a magnificent picture that combines the beauty of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River with the majesty of the desert in the north.

Also in this area, the Yellow River enters the middle reaches of the Yellow River from Tuoketuo County, Hohhot City. The river flows all the way down and enters the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge, starting its journey southward.

At the border of Hehuili Village, Dashiyao Township, Yonghe County, Shanxi Province, and the southern part of Yanchuan County, Shaanxi Province, there is also a Qiankun Bay with a turning angle of more than 320 degrees. It is so miraculous and majestic that it is known as the "The first bay of the Yellow River in the world".

Passing through the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge, we arrive at Tongguan, the junction of the three provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan. This is also where the Yellow River and the Weihe River, the largest tributary, meet. To the west is the Weihe Plain, the 800-mile Qinchuan River, to the east is the open Central Plains, to the north is the Loess Plateau, and to the south is the Qinling Mountains and Huashan Mountains, making it a magical existence of nature.

After flowing through Tongguan and hitting Huashan Mountain in the south, the Yellow River suddenly turned eastward and entered Henan Province. After that, the river channel widened, the flow rate slowed down, and the entrained sediment also began to be deposited. Creating roads for sediment also helped form the North China Plain, the second largest impact plain in China. From Taohuayu in Guangwu Town, Xingyang City, Henan Province, the Yellow River enters the lower reaches. Also due to sedimentation, the riverbed downstream gradually rose, forming an above-ground suspended river.

Then, the Yellow River turns northeast into Shandong Province in Dongbatou Township, Lankao County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, which is also the last province the Yellow River flows through, and finally flows into the Bohai Sea in Huanghekou Town, Kenli District, Dongying City.

The straight-line distance from the source of the Yellow River to its mouth is about 2,160 kilometers, but the actual length of the Yellow River is 5,464 kilometers. In the twists and turns of these thousands of meters, the Yellow River has given birth to the surging Chinese civilization for thousands of years and nourished generations of children. It is worthy of the title of the mother river of the Chinese nation.

Review丨Chen Rui

Producer丨Fan Yizi

Coordinator丨Luo Jingyue

Copywriter and editor丨Chen Shuai

Art design丨Yang Hua Zhao Mo

Proofreading丨Wang Yu (trainee)

Reference materials丨"Thousands of Miles into the Mind-Historical Biography of the Yellow River" "Nine Bends of the Yellow River No. 1" Bay"

Produced by the New Media Center (Film and Television Production and Broadcasting Center) of China Water Conservancy Newspaper