About the Yellow River

The Yellow River originates from the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai, and its main stream runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong, and flows into the Bohai Sea. The annual runoff volume is 57.4 billion cubic meters, and the average runoff depth is 79 meters. However, the water volume is not as large as that of the Pearl River. There are 35 major tributaries along the river. The larger tributaries are in the upper reaches, including Huangshui River and Tao River. In the middle reaches, there are Qingshui River, Fen River, Wei River and Qin River, and in the lower reaches, there are Yi River and Luo River. There are no lakes on both sides of the river and the river bed is high. There are very few rivers flowing into the Yellow River, so the lower reaches of the Yellow River are very small.

There are many mountains and grassland plateaus from the source of the river to Guide, belonging to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, with peaks over 4,000 meters, and the source valley at an altitude of 4,200 meters; the section from Guide to the Mengjin River is the Loess Plateau Area, the Loess Plateau is bounded by the west slope of Luliang in the east, the Wei River Valley in the south, the Ordos Plateau in the north, and the Lanzhou Valley in the west; the Loess Plateau generally has an altitude of 1000 to 1300 meters, with uneven terrain, steep slopes and deep ravines, and the gully ground slope is 15 ~20 degrees, the valley area accounts for 40-50%, the channel density is 3-5 km/km2, and the cutting depth is more than 100 meters; below Mengjin, it enters the low-lying North China Plain, with an altitude of no more than 50 meters, and the river course becomes flat after entering the downstream , the average specific drop is only 0.12%, the water flow slows down, a large amount of sediment accumulates, and the river bed is 4 to 5 meters above the ground; due to the multiple changes of the Yellow River, fan-shaped ancient river beds and ancient natural embankments have been alluvial on the ground, forming gentle hills and depressions. It is distributed in sloping plains and depressions are relatively open and flat.

The Yellow River reaches an altitude of between 3,000 and 1,600 meters from Guide to Minhe, and enters Gansu from Minhe Xiachuankou. This section has a mild and humid climate and is known as the "Little Jiangnan on the Plateau" with crystal clear water. There is also a saying that "the Yellow River in the world is noble and pure". The Ningxia Plain in Ningxia and the Hetao Plain in Inner Mongolia are known as Jiangnan because they are located in the valley of the upper reaches of the Yellow River, with abundant water sources, convenient irrigation, developed agriculture, and abundant water and grass.

Basin Overview

The upper reaches of the Yellow River are from the source to Hekou Town, Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with a river length of 3,472 kilometers; the middle reaches are between Hekou Town and Hehukou Waterfall in Nanmengjin. , the river is 1206 kilometers long; below Taohuayu is the lower reaches, the river is 786 kilometers long. (There are many opinions on the division of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The division plan of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission is used here.) The Yellow River traverses China from east to west. The basin is 1,900 kilometers long from east to west and 1,100 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of ??752,443 square kilometers.

The Yellow River, like a lion with its back arched and head held high, crosses the mountains of Qinghai and Gansu Provinces from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; crosses the Hetao Plains of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia; and gallops between Shanxi and Shaanxi Among the high mountains and deep valleys; break out of the "Dragon Gate", turn east at the foot of Huashan Mountain in Xiyue, cross the North China Plain, and rush to the coast of the Bohai Sea. It flows through 9 provinces and districts, gathering more than 40 main tributaries and more than 1,000 streams, with a journey of 5,464 kilometers and a drainage area of ??more than 750,000 square kilometers. It is the second longest river in China. The average annual precipitation in the entire basin is about 400 mm, while the average annual runoff of the Yellow River is only 57.4 billion cubic meters, ranking eighth among Chinese rivers. Within the basin, together with the downstream Henan and Shandong riverside areas, there are more than 200 million acres of cultivated land and a population of about 100 million.

The annual average natural runoff of the entire Yellow River is 58 billion cubic meters, the average annual runoff depth in the basin is 77 mm, the per capita water volume in the basin is 593 cubic meters, and the average water volume per mu of cultivated land is 324 cubic meters.

The middle reaches of the Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau. Due to soil erosion, the tributaries bring in a large amount of sediment, making the Yellow River the river with the highest sediment content in the world. The maximum annual sand transport volume reached 3.91 billion tons (1933), and the maximum sand content was 920 kg/cubic meter (1977). The annual average sediment transport volume of Sanmenxia Station is about 1.6 billion tons, and the average sediment content is 35 kg/cubic meter. The Yellow River is the river with the highest sediment content in the world according to the China World Records Association.

Main tributaries

The main tributaries of the Yellow River are Baihe River, Heihe River, Huangshui River, Zuli River, Qingshui River, Dahei River, Kuye River, Wuding River, Fenhe River, Weihe River, Luohe River, Qinhe River, Dawen River, etc. Among them, the Wei River is the largest tributary of the Yellow River.

The main lakes

are Zhaling Lake, Eling Lake, Wuliang Suhai and Dongping Lake.

Satellite map of the Yellow River Basin Mainstream Canyons

There are 30 canyons on the main stream of the Yellow River, 28 in the upper reaches, 2 in the middle reaches, and 2 in the lower reaches. This section flows through the North China Plain and has no canyons. The total length of the main stream canyon section is 1,707 kilometers, accounting for 31.2% of the total length of the main stream.

Biological Resources

There are 121 species (subspecies) of fish in the main stream of the Yellow River, and there are 98 species of pure freshwater fish in the main stream, accounting for 78.4% of the total. The main commercial fish are spotted carp, polar flat-toothed carp, thick-lipped carp, yellow river carps, Valsalva's yarrow, northern copper carp (pigeon fish), carp, and crucian carp. There are only 16 species of fish in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and the composition is relatively simple. There are only Schizothorax, Yaluo, and Loach from the two families of Cyprinidae and Loach. The fish species in the middle and lower reaches are generally similar, with Cyprinidae being the main species. There are 71 species of fish in the middle reaches, but there is a lack of natural fish species such as silver carp, bighead carp, bream, and bream. The upper reaches of the middle reaches have schizothorax and striped loach, which are unique to the upper reaches. The fish species in the lower reaches are similar to those in the upper reaches. There are a large number of them, with 78 species, including a variety of estuary fish and brackish water fish.

According to the survey data of the tributaries of the Yellow River, according to the fish statistics of the Tao River in Gansu, the Wei River, and the Jing River in Shaanxi, the Wei River has more species in its waters, with 30 species, followed by the Tao River with 11 species, and the Jing River with only 4 species. kind. Most of the tributaries in the upper and middle reaches are small fishes of the family Cyprinidae and Loachidae, and there are also a few fishes of the family Cyprinidae and catfish. The economic fish are carp, crucian carp, yarrow and catfish.

Historically, the Yellow River Basin has been the political, economic and cultural center of China for a long time and is known as the cradle of Chinese culture. Frequent disasters in history have also made the Yellow River known as "China's worry." From 602 BC to 1938, the Yellow River burst 1,590 times and caused major migrations 26 times. On average, there are two gaps every three years and a major diversion once every century. In 1938, the Yellow River changed its course, and the water flowed southward to capture the Huaihe River, flooding large areas of land in eastern Henan, northern Anhui, and northern Jiangsu. 12.5 million people were affected and 890,000 died.

Note:

In recent years, the biological life in the waters of the Yellow River has been destroyed, and there are now less than a hundred species of fish. Technicians from the Lanzhou Fisheries Technology Promotion Center believe that factors such as the deterioration of the ecological environment in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and soil erosion resulting in a high sand content in the Yellow River; the decreasing water volume of the Yellow River due to drought and lack of rain; the pollution of wastewater from industrial towns; and artificial fishing have all contributed to the decline of biological organisms in the Yellow River. reasons.

In order to restore the ecology of the Yellow River waters and conserve biological resources, the Fisheries Division of the Gansu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry began in 2000 to implement the "enhancement and release" plan for the Gansu section of the Yellow River. According to the person in charge of the Fisheries Department, the number of fish released has increased from more than 7 million last year to 8 million this year, with the Yellow River indigenous fish species - Yellow River carp, catfish, grass carp and bighead carp as the main targets.

River segmentation

There are many opinions on the boundaries of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission uses Hekou Town and Taohuayu to divide the upper, middle and lower reaches; traditional middle school textbooks use Hekou Town and Mengjin to divide the upper, middle and lower reaches; after investigation, scholar Yang Liankang believes that Qingtongxia and Mengjin are more appropriate; scholar Xu Shaoli advocates Jiayingguan, Wuzhi County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province is used as the dividing line between the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The following is the division plan of the Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission.

Upstream

The section of the Yellow River above Hekou Town in Togtuo County, Inner Mongolia is the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The total length of the upper reaches is 3,472 kilometers, with a drainage area of ??386,000 square kilometers. The drainage area accounts for 51.3% of the total volume of the Yellow River. The total drop in the upper reaches is 3496 meters, and the average ratio is reduced to 1‰; the river reaches 43 large tributaries (with a basin area of ??more than 1000 square kilometers), and the runoff accounts for 54% of the entire river; the annual sediment volume in the upper reaches It accounts for only 8% of the annual sediment volume of the entire river. It is rich in water and less in sand. It is the source of clean water for the Yellow River. The upper reaches of the river are controlled by Animaqing Mountain, Xiqing Mountain and Qinghai Nanshan and are curved in an S shape. The upper reaches of the Yellow River can be divided into three parts: the river source section, the canyon section and the alluvial plain according to different river channel characteristics.

The upper part from Qinghai Qariqu to Qinghai Guide Longyang Gorge is the river source section. The river source section starts from Kariqu, passes through Xingxiu Sea, Zhaling Lake, and Eling Lake to Maduo, bypasses Animaqing Mountain and Xiqing Mountain, and passes through Longyang Gorge to Guide, Qinghai. Most of the rivers in this section flow through the plateau at a height of three to four thousand meters. The rivers are winding and winding, with mostly lakes, swamps and grassy beaches on both sides. The water quality is relatively clear, the flow is stable and the water production is large. There are Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake in the river section. The two lakes are above 4260 meters above sea level, with water storage capacity of 4.7 billion cubic meters and 10.8 billion cubic meters respectively. They are the largest plateau freshwater lakes in China. From Maduo in Qinghai to Maqu in Gansu, the Yellow River flows through the ancient basin and low hills between the Bayan Har Mountains and the Animaqing Mountains. Most of the river valleys are wide, with occasional canyons. From Maqu in Gansu to Longyang Gorge in Guide, Qinghai, the Yellow River flows through mountain canyons with rapid water flow and rich water resources. The Baihe River and Heihe River, tributaries originating from Minshan Mountain in Sichuan, merge into the Yellow River in this section.

The section from Longyang Gorge in Qinghai to Qingtong Gorge in Ningxia is the canyon section. This section of the river flows through mountainous hills. Due to the different rock properties, it forms a situation of alternating canyons and wide valleys: canyons are formed in the hard gneiss, granite and Nanshan metamorphic rock sections, and canyons are formed in the loose sand shale and red rock series. The lot forms a wide valley. There are 20 canyons in this section, including Longyang Gorge, Jishi Gorge, Liujia Gorge, Bapan Gorge, and Qingtong Gorge. Both sides of the canyon are steep cliffs, with narrow river beds, large river channel gradients, and rapid water flow. This section between Guide and Lanzhou is one of the three concentrated tributaries of the Yellow River. Important tributaries such as the Tao River and Huangshui River merge into it, which greatly increases the water volume of the Yellow River. The main stream section from Longyangxia to Xiaheyan in Ningxia is a "rich ore" area of ??the Yellow River's hydropower resources, and is also one of China's key hydropower bases for development and construction.

④The regulating capacity of the reservoir is low and water resources management is inconsistent;

⑤The water fee is low, and low water prices fail to arouse people's awareness of water conservation, resulting in a huge waste of water in industry and agriculture;

⑥Environmental pollution has sharply reduced the utilization rate of Yellow River water.

⑦There is too much sewage discharge from factories along the river.

Xuanhe River

Due to sedimentation, in most sections of the 5,464-kilometer-long Yellow River, the riverbed is higher than the cities and farmland in the basin, and is restricted by levees. It is therefore called the "Hanging River". So where did the Yellow River become a "hanging river"?

In Dengkou County, southwest of Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia, the Yellow River channel is on average 4 to 6 meters higher than where the county seat is.

The Yellow River flows between Zhongtiao Mountain and Qinling Mountains, and travels eastward through Mengjin, Henan.

From here, 30 kilometers away from the Yellow River, is Luoyang, the famous capital of my country. Luoyang is one of the eight ancient capitals of China. Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui (Yangdi), Tang (Wu Zetian), Houliang, Later Tang and other dynasties have established their capitals here, and it is known as the "ancient capital of nine dynasties".

Changes of river courses

The Yellow River is the second largest river in my country and has been a sediment-laden river since ancient times. In the 4th century BC, the lower reaches of the Yellow River were known as the "Zhuo River" because of the turbid water. At the beginning of the 1st century AD, someone pointed out that "the water in the river is so turbid that one stone weighs six buckets of mud." After the Tang and Song Dynasties, sedimentation increased unabated. Part of this silt accumulates on the downstream river bed. Over time, the river bed becomes high and restricted by embankments, forming a hanging river over time. Every time there is a heavy flood in autumn, if the defense is not effective, the river will overflow, or the river will be diverted. According to historical records, in the three to four thousand years before 1946, the lower reaches of the Yellow River burst and flooded 1,593 times, the river course was changed 26 times due to flooding, and there were more than 1,000 breaches. The floods ranged from the Haihe River in the north to the Huaihe River in the south, spanning 250,000 square kilometers, and had a huge impact on the geographical environment of China's Huanghuaihai Plain.

In terms of the characteristics of the course changes in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, it can be roughly divided into the following stages.

① Before the embankment was built in the Warring States Period

The upper limit roughly started from the Neolithic Age. At that time, the lower reaches of the Yellow River flowed through the Hebei Plain and entered the sea on the west bank of the Bohai Bay. Because no embankments were built on both sides, the river course was extremely unstable. According to literature records, the Yellow River has flowed back and forth many times, including three channels recorded in "Yu Gong", "Book of Mountains and Seas Beishan Jing" and "Hanshu Geography". The first two are in the west of the Hebei Plain, flowing north along the foothills of the Taihang Mountains. The lower reaches of the "Shan Jing" River flow roughly north to the southern edge of the alluvial fan of the Yongding River, eastward through the line of Xiongxian and Baxian, and finally enter the sea near Tianjin today. According to "Yu Gong", the lower reaches of the river flowed separately from the "Shan Jing" river in today's Shen County, passing through the central part of the present-day Hebei Plain and entering the sea to the east of Qing County; "Han Zhi" said that the river left the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain and passed through northeastern Henan and Northwest Shandong, southeast Hebei, and northeast to Huanghua County where it enters the sea. Before the middle period of the Warring States Period, the above three rivers were either primary or secondary, or existed at the same time, but the most common ones were the rivers flowing through the "Han Chronicles". In ancient times, "river" was the proper name for the Yellow River. According to records in "Han Chronicles" and "Shui Jing Zhu", there are more than 10 waterways called "rivers" on the Hebei Plain, all of which may be the old paths of the Yellow River after a certain break-up and migration.

② From the 4th century BC to the early AD (from the middle of the Warring States Period to the end of the Western Han Dynasty)

In the middle of the Warring States Period, after large-scale embankments were built downstream, the fixed river course was the "Geography of Hanshu 2" The great river recorded in the "Zhi" has since ended the long-term situation of multiple diversions and frequent diversions. We are temporarily regarded as the first major diversion of the Yellow River.

In the middle of the Warring States Period, the lower reaches of the Yellow River were sparsely populated. When the embankment was first built, the distance between the two banks was as wide as 50 miles (1 mile is equivalent to 414 meters today), and the main stream (the main stream of water) must be within the embankment. Wandering, the river has strong flood storage capacity and is not prone to breaches. Later, as the population increased, the large tracts of beach land silted out on both sides of the river channel in the embankment were cultivated, and residential buildings were built for self-defense. The far ones were several miles away from the water, and the nearest ones were only a few hundred steps away. As a result, the river bed was constrained, the river body became winding, the river silted up quickly, and dangers emerged one after another. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the rivers in present-day Junxian County, Henan Province, had "water levels higher than the flat ground" and had obviously become "hanging rivers". This is the result of the intensification of soil erosion in the middle reaches of the Yellow River since the Qin and Han Dynasties. In 11 AD, during the reign of Wang Mang, the Yellow River broke out again in the east, and floods between the river and the Huai River lasted for 60 years.

③ From the 1st to the 10th century AD (Eastern Han Dynasty to the end of Tang Dynasty)

In 11 AD (the third year after Wang Mang founded the country), the Yellow River burst above Yuancheng of Wei County (now Daming East, Hebei Province). The river flooded to several counties east of Qinghe County. At that time, Wang Mang did not advocate blocking the river because the river would flow eastward and his ancestral graves in Yuancheng would not be threatened. He believed that the floods had lasted for nearly sixty years, thus causing the second major diversion of the Yellow River in history.

After that, for nearly a thousand years, the lower reaches of the Yellow River experienced a relatively stable situation, with occasional overflows and no large-scale diversions. The reasons are:

First, a large number of nomadic peoples settled in the middle reaches of the Yellow River since the Eastern Han Dynasty. Farmland was converted to grazing, secondary grasslands and shrubs replaced cultivated land, and soil erosion was relatively reduced.

Secondly, in 70 AD, under the leadership of Wang Jing, a comprehensive management of the overflowing river water at the end of the Western Han Dynasty was completed, and a new river course was fixed, which generally flowed through the junction area of ??Hebei and Shandong, starting from Changshoujin (today's Changshoujin) Puyang Xiwangbin area), it started from the Western Han Dynasty River, followed the ancient Luoshui River, passed through the south of present-day Fan County, branched off from the ancient Luohe River in present-day Yanggu County, passed between the present-day Yellow River and Majia River, and is now in Lijin County, Shandong Province. into the sea.

Thirdly, there were many branches in the lower reaches of the Yellow River at that time, which either entered the sea alone or flowed into other rivers. There were also some large and small lakes and swamps along the way, which all played the role of flood diversion, sand discharge and flow regulation.

④ From the 10th century to 1127 AD (from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty)

After nearly a thousand years of accumulation, starting from the end of the Tang Dynasty, the mouth of the lower reaches of the Yellow River had gradually silted up. In 893 AD (the second year of Jingfu in the Tang Dynasty), the river mouth section was diverted for nearly a hundred miles. By the Five Dynasties period, the frequency of ruptures increased significantly, with an average of one general rupture in less than three years.

By the beginning of the 11th century, in today’s Shanghe, Huimin, and Binzhou cities and counties in Shandong, the rivers were “higher than the houses of the people”. After that, the location of the breach moved up to Chanzhou (now Puyang, Henan) and Huazhou (now the east old city of Huaxian County). The general trend is that the river gradually swings northward.

The Chihe River and the Henglong River, which were determined at the end of the Five Dynasties and the early Northern Song Dynasty, were both north of the great rivers in the Tang Dynasty.

In 1048, Shang Huxun (today's Dongchanghuji in Puyang) broke through, flowing north between today's Fuyang River and Nanyun River, and downstream to join Yuhe River (today's Nanyun River) and Jiehe River (today's Haihe River) Today, when Jinjin enters the sea, it is known as the "Northern Yellow River School" in history. This is the third major diversion in the history of the Yellow River. (There are three major rivers in the north of the Yellow River: Shanghuxi, Xiaowuxi, and Neihuangkou)

⑤ 1128 to the middle of the 16th century (from the Jin and Yuan Dynasties to the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty)

In 1128 (the second year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty), in order to prevent the Jin soldiers from going south, Du Chong, who stayed in Tokyo in the Song Dynasty, actually dug a river in the southwest of Hua County, Henan Province, causing the Yellow River to flow eastward through northeastern Henan and southwest Shandong, and merged into Si River, seize Si River and enter Huaihe River. From then on, the Yellow River left its old path that had flowed through the Jun and Hua areas since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and no longer entered the Hebei Plain. In the following 700 years, it often flowed into the Huaihe River from the southeast. This is an epoch-making event in the history of changes in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and it is also the fourth major diversion of the Yellow River.

The area between the dredging and slipping areas was originally a narrow channel in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Due to the control of this section of the river, the swing range of the following river channels after the breach is basically limited to the Hebei Plain east of the Taihang Mountains and north of the Shandong hills. After leaving this section of the river, the downstream river turns east or southeast, swinging from northeastern Henan to southwestern Shandong. In the Jin Dynasty, among the 12 recorded breaches, the river swing after the breach accounted for 10 times in this area.

In October 1286 (the twenty-third year of the Yuan Dynasty), the Yellow River flowed through Yuanwu, Yangwu, Zhongmou, Yanjin, Kaifeng, Xiangfu, Qixian, Suizhou, Chenliu, Tongxu, and Taikang , Weishi, Weichuan, Yanling, Fugou and other 15 execution sites. It can be roughly divided into three streams; one stream turns south in Zhongmou, passes through Weishi, Weichuan, Fugou, Yanling and other places, and enters the Huaihe River from Yingshui; one stream turns south in Kaifeng, passes through Tongxu, Tai Kang and other places enter the Huaihe River from the vortex. We call this the fifth major diversion of the Yellow River in history. From the Jin and Yuan Dynasties to the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the characteristics of the Yellow River's changes can be summarized as the following three points:

First, the breach location moved westward. At first, most of the breaches were in present-day Shandong (in the 1250s and 1260s), and then moved westward to the Ji County, Yangwu (eastern part of today's Yuanyang), and Yanjin areas in Henan (in the 1280s and 90s). By the 1370s to the 1340s, the breach had moved to the areas of Xinxiang, Yuanwu (now west of Yuanyang), and Yingze (now Xiguxing Town, Zhengzhou City), almost to the top of the alluvial plain of the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Second, the main stream of the river gradually swings southward. After the mid-12th century, the river passed through northeastern Henan and southwest Shandong, and now flows into Sishui in Liangshan County, Shandong. After that, it gradually swung southward into Kaifeng and Shangqiu areas in eastern Henan, passed through Dangshan and Xiaoxian in Anhui, and finally reached Xuzhou, Jiangsu to seize Sirutan. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, there were two man-made river crossings, either from Sui Si to Si or from the eddy to Huai. In the late 13th century, there was a section of river channel that diverted the Yinghe River into the Huaihe River, reaching the southwest limit of the fan-shaped plain in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Thirdly, in addition to the main stream, the downstream river channel also branches into several branches, which alternate between primary and secondary and change indefinitely. Since the second half of the 12th century (Jin Dading period), the situation of "two rivers diverging" has emerged. Later, it was divided into three streams, all of which flowed roughly north of the current line of the abandoned Yellow River and merged into the Si River, and then merged into the Si River and entered the Huaihe River. By the second half of the 13th century (early Yuan Dynasty), several strands of Sui Sui, Wu, and Ying entered the Huai River appeared downstream. Afterwards, it either flows into Si in the east, or flows into Huaihe in the south. Sometimes it flows northeast into the Majia River, Tuhai River, and Beiqing River (today's Yellow River below Dongping, Shandong) and enters the sea. Several stocks often run in parallel, one after another, and the changes are extremely chaotic. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1351), when Jialu was regulating the river, he once regulated a river channel from Fengqiu in Henan to the east to Duosi in Xuzhou and into the Huaihe River, which was called the Jialu River in history. It soon fell into disrepair.

⑥ From the middle of the 16th century to 1854 (the fifth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty)

The situation of multiple diversions in the lower reaches of the Yellow River basically ended by the middle of the 16th century (the middle of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty). "The whole river flows out of Xu and Pi, and Si flows into the Huai River." This is a major change in the river flow. Later, in the early years of Wanli, Pan Jixun implemented the river management policy of "building embankments to contain water and using water to attack sand". The downstream river course was basically fixed, which is the abandoned Yellow River on the current map. Although there was a decisive overflow later. But he soon returned to his old ways. In the early Qing Dynasty, embankments were built on a large scale. The rivers in Henan experienced a period of relatively stable flow, while the number of river breaches in Shandong and Jiangsu increased. The river section from Xuzhou to Huaiyin in Jiangsu Province also serves as a canal, which is "the most important lifeline of the throat." The focus of Pan Jixun's river management is on this section of the river, such as overhauling the weir embankment, grid embankment, moon embankment, and remote embankment on both sides, rebuilding Gaojia Weir, raising the water level of Hongze Lake, and storing clear water and brushing it with yellow water. By the early Qing Dynasty, the center of gravity of river disasters had shifted downward from Huaiyin to the river mouth. This was because after the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the Yellow River had long diverted the Huai River into the sea, and a large amount of sediment was discharged into the sea mouth. The river mouth continued to extend, causing the slope to change and accelerating the sedimentation of the river channel above the river mouth. Therefore, after the 18th century, river disasters were most concentrated below Xuzhou. After the 19th century, the river channel became silted up, bursts occurred year after year, and there was also domestic political turmoil. River management was ineffective, and new diversions were inevitable.

⑦ 1855 (the fifth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty) to before the 1950s

In June 1855, the Yellow River broke through Tongwaxiang in Lanyang, Henan Province, and first flooded to the northwest Fengqiu and Xiangfu counties and villages, and then flows eastward to Lanyi, Kaocheng, Changyuan and other counties, and is divided into three streams: one leaves the Zhaowang River in the east of Caozhou and reaches Zhangqiu Chuanyun; one passes through Changyuan County and flows When arriving at Leijiazhuang, Dongming County, it is divided into two streams, both of which flow northeast to Zhangqiu Town; after the three streams merge, they pass through the Zhangqiu Canal, flow into the Daqing River through the Buyan River, and enter the sea through Lijin Oyster Mouth. This is the sixth major diversion of the Yellow River. The course of the lower reaches of the Yellow River, according to the current administrative divisions of China, generally passes through Xingyang, Zhengzhou, Yuanyang, Yanjin, Fengqiu, Zhongmou, Kaifeng, Lankao, and Puyang in Henan, and then passes through Caoxian and Shanxian in Shandong, and then through Dangshan and Xiaoxian in Anhui, and finally Fengxian, Peixian, Xuzhou, Pixian, Suining, Suqian, Siyang, Huai'an, Lianshui, Funing and Binhai in Jiangsu and then the Yellow Sea. However, after the change of course, after the gap in the Tongwa Xiang, the Yellow River broke through the original river course, changed its direction to the northeast, and entered the Bohai Sea through the Daqing River in Shandong. This breach brought an end to the more than 700-year history of the lower reaches of the Yellow River flowing from the Huai River to the sea, and returned to flowing into the sea from the Bohai Bay. In the following 20 years, the flood flowed freely on the alluvial fan of the delta with Tongwaxiang as the apex, reaching Beijindi in the north, Caoxian and Dangshan in the south, and the canal in the east. The water was scattered and flowing indefinitely. It was not until 1876 that the entire river embankment was completed, and the current lower reaches of the Yellow River were basically formed. In the downstream section of the river from Tongwaxiang to Taochengbu, bursts often occur, so it is known as "Tofu waist".

In June 1938, the Kuomintang government passively resisted Japan. The Huayuankou embankment was artificially opened in an attempt to use floods to prevent the Japanese invaders from advancing westward. This breach caused the Yellow River to flood southward between the Jialu River, Ying River and Wohe River, causing a serious disaster rarely seen in history. This is also the seventh major diversion in the history of the Yellow River.

The problem of sandstorms has become more and more serious recently. Now experts say that if humans continue to deforestation, the source of the Yellow River is likely to be submerged in sandstorms. The Yellow River is the origin of the Chinese nation, but the source of this river, known as the mother river, is surrounded by barren mountains and is surrounded by wind and sand.

Experts point out that human beings’ unnatural lifestyle and indiscriminate deforestation are the main reasons for destroying water sources. This ecosystem with a history of thousands of years is facing collapse, and it is also likely to become another disaster caused by the destruction of human civilization. A ruins.

It is the Yellow River's frequent flooding and disasters that have created the Chinese nation's character of "being prepared for danger in times of peace." Chinese civilization also began with the arduous struggle of Dayu to control the water and guide the river into the sea. So many dynasties had river management institutions. The Republic of China still had institutions such as the "Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission". This was It is very rare among the world's major rivers. It can be said that the Yellow River has played a decisive role in shaping the character of the Chinese nation and guiding the direction of Chinese civilization.

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The vibrant upstream section - this section is known as the "rich ore area" of the Yellow River's hydropower resources. Among them, the section from Longyang Gorge to Qingtong Gorge is alternating with rivers and gorges, and the river bed has a large drop, which contains rich water resources. The planned utilization drop exceeds 1,200 meters and the installed capacity exceeds 10 million kilowatts, accounting for nearly 50% of the entire river. The average annual power generation is nearly 60 billion kilowatt hours.

The gentle and lingering Ningmeng River Section-the Yellow River flows peacefully here, irrigating the farmland on both sides and benefiting the local people. Therefore, there are sayings that "the Yellow River in the world is rich in Ningxia" and "the Yellow River has many harms, but only one thing is rich." The land near Yinchuan in Ningxia is flat and vast, and water from the Yellow River has been used for gravity irrigation for more than 2,000 years. The area is rich in products, and the precious traditional Chinese medicine wolfberry and Yinchuan rice are of high quality. It is known as "the north of the Great Wall and the south of the Yangtze River". (Wolfberry Photo) The Hetao Plain in Inner Mongolia is very arid. In its western part, the annual precipitation is less than 200 mm. Here "without water, it is a desert, but with water, it is an oasis." The water of the Yellow River creates excellent conditions for industrial and agricultural production here.

The courageous middle reaches of the river - the Shaanxi-Jinshan Gorge, where the Yellow River splits the Wanren Mountains with overwhelming force, forming the longest continuous canyon section on the Yellow River. There are the following two famous places in this section of the river:

1. Hukou Waterfall - The Yellow River rushes in and roars away with thunderous momentum here. Hukou Waterfall is not only a symbol of the Yellow River, It is also a symbol of the spirit of the Chinese nation that is not afraid of hardships and dangers, has the courage to explore and move forward courageously. "The wind is roaring, the horses are roaring, the Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring." This majestic song sings the grace of the Yellow River, and also sings the invincibility and heroic spirit of the Chinese nation. (Lyrics selected from "Yellow River Cantata")

2. Dragon Gate - the popular story of "Carp jumping over Dragon Gate" originated from this. The water here is so fast that it is said that if a carp can jump over the dragon gate, it will become a dragon. This legend expresses people's best wishes to reach their ideal state after hard work, and also inspires the Chinese people to fight tenaciously and strive endlessly. According to legend, this place is a gorge dug by Dayu to control floods, so it is also called Yumenkou.

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1.5 million years ago, the Western Hominin appeared in Ruicheng County on the Yellow River in Shanxi Province. Later, 1 million years ago, The Lantian ape man and the Dali ape man 300,000 years ago fished and hunted on the banks of the Yellow River, lived and multiplied, and continued to work quietly for the birth of the Yellow River civilization.

The early Homo sapiens in Dingcun, Xiangfen, Shanxi 70,000 years ago, and the late Homo sapiens in Dagouwan, Wushen Banner, Inner Mongolia 30,000 years ago, played the prelude to the ancient Yellow River civilization.

Microlithic cultural sites dating from 10,000 to 7,000 years ago, Neolithic cultural sites from 7,000 to 3,700 years ago, bronze cultural sites from 3,700 to 2,700 years ago, and iron cultural sites that appeared in 770 B.C. All over the Yellow River Basin. Since the Mesolithic Age, the Yellow River Basin has become the development center of ancient Chinese culture. Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong invented artificial fire technology, primitive animal husbandry, and primitive agriculture. They kicked off the development of the Yellow River civilization.

Qin Emperor, Han Wu, Tang Zong and Song Zu, Genghis Khan, the genius of the generation, these emperors led the Chinese nation and pushed the ancient Yellow River civilization to a glorious peak that attracted the attention of the world. Gunpowder, compass, papermaking, printing, Tang poetry, Song lyrics, and Yuan opera are the shining treasures of the Yellow River civilization. Inventions and scientific achievements not only promoted the development of China, but also spread to all parts of the world, promoting the progress of all mankind.

1. The second longest river in my country

The Yellow River, the second longest river in my country, is a 5,464-kilometer-long river that meanders in northern China. Viewed from a high altitude, it looks like a huge "ji" character, and it is also vaguely the unique totem of our nation - the dragon.

2. Characteristics of the Yellow River

It is not just a big river. The Yellow River, the yellow land, the emperor, the yellow skin and the legendary Chinese dragon, all these yellow symbols sublimate this turbid current flowing through the heart of China into a holy river. "Book of Han·Gou Xiu Zhi" regards the Yellow River as the first of hundreds of rivers: "There are hundreds of river sources in China, none of which are located in Sidu, and the Yellow River is the ancestor.

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