Rivers of China

China’s Major Rivers

The headwaters of the Yangtze are situated at an elevation of about 4900 m (about 16,000 ft). In its descent to sea level, the river falls to an altitude of 305 m (1000 ft) at Yibin, Sichuan Province, the head of navigation for riverboats, and to 192 m (630 ft) at Chongqing. Between Chongqing and Yichang (I-ch'ang), at an altitude of 40 m (130 ft) and a distance of about 320 km (about 200 mi), it passes through the spectacular Yangtze Gorges, which are noted for their natural beauty but are dangerous to shipping. Yichang, 1600 km (1000 mi) from the sea, is the head of navigation for river steamers; oceangoing vessels may navigatethe river to Hankou (Hankow), a distance of almost 1000 km (almost 600 mi) from the sea. For about 320 km (about 200 mi) inland from its mouth, the river is virtually at sea level.

More than 1,683,500 sq km (650,000 sq mi) of territory is drained by the Yangtze and its branches. The principal tributaries are the Han, Yalong, Jialing, Min, and Tuo He (T'o Ho), on the N and on the south, the Wu; at Zhenjiang, the Grand Canal links the Yangtze to the Huang He (yellow River). During periods of heavy rains, Lakes Dongting and Poyang receive some of the overflow of the Yangtze. Despite these outlets, floods caused by the river occasionally have caused great destruction of life and property. In the 20th century, devastating floods have occurred in 1905, 1980, and 1981.

With its numerous tributaries and feeders, the Yangtze provides a great transportation network through the heart of some of the most densely populated and economically important areas in China. Among the principal cities on the Yangtze, in addition to those cited in the foregoing, are Wuchang, Nanjing, Hanyang, and Anqing (An-ch'ing). Jiangsu Province, largely a deltaic plain consisting of silt deposited by the Yangtze (more than 170 million cu m/6 billion cu ft annually), is one of the chief rice-growing areas of China.

Although the entire river is known as the Yangtze River to foreigners, the Chinese apply that designation only to the last 480 or 645 km (300 or 400 mi) of its course, the portion traversing the region identified with the Yang kingdom (flourished about 10th century BC). From Its upper reaches to Yibin, the river is called the Jinsha River (Golden Sand) and various other names are applied in the provinces it traverses. The official name for the entire river is Chang Jiang ("Long River) or Yangtze River.

The 4,827 km-long Huanghe (yellow river) originates from Kunlun Mountains and flows generally eastward across northern China to the Gulf of Bo Hai.
It is named for the vast quantities of yellow silt it carries to its delta. The river often causes devastating floods on the plains of its lower course due to elevated river bed.
Huanghe is also called the "mother river" of China as the Chinese civilization is evolved in the region around the river. A 50-year construction program, designed to control future flooding and harness the river for increased irrigation and hydroelectric production, was initiated in 1955.

Passing Cities :Anyang \ Jinan \Kaifeng\Lanzhou \Luoyang \Sanmenxia\ Wuzhong \Yanjin\ Zhengzhou

Heilong Jiang (Amur River) is the northernmost major stream of China. It forms most of the northeastern boundary with Russia. It is a major fishing resource in north China.

The Zhujiang (the Pearl) River is the largest river in south China, formed but the confluence of three rivers---the Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjaing. Its name comes from pearl shells having been found in the section that flows through the city of Guangzhou. The Xijiang, the trunk of the Zhujiang (Pearl River), has its headwaters in the Nanpan River in the Wumeng Mountain Area, Yunnan, and flows past Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi for 2,197 kilometers before emptying into the South China Sea at Modaomen, Guangdong. Seventy-seven percent of Zhujiang (Pearl River) flow comes from the Xijiang. Practically all the rivers of the Beijinga and dongjaing systems are in Guangdong Province. The Beijiang, starting in the southern part of Huanan and Jiangxi, flows 468 kilometers. The Dongjiang has its source in southern Jiangxi and a total length of 523 kilometers. The three rivers meet at the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) Delta formed of the silt deposits at the river mount, where they fan out and flow into the South China Sea through eight outlets, mainly those at Humen, Hongqili, Modaomen and Yamen. The Zhujiang (Pearl River) valley, which covers an area of 452,616 square kilometers, has an annual precipitation of 1,500-2,000 mm. and is the region with the largest rainfall. In length and catchment area, the Zhujiang (Pearl River) ranks fourth among China's rivers, but its flow, eight times that of the Huanghe, is second only to the Yangtze River and provides it with a power potential of 33 million kilowatts. It is second also to the Yangtze River in the volume of water transport, its trunk and branch rivers being navigable for a total length of 12,000 kilometers. It is navigable by ships of 10,000-ton class downriver form the Hangpu port near Guangzhou, by 1,000-tonners up to Wuzhou and by small steamboats up to Nanning and Liuzhou. Farming is well developed in the Zhujiang (Pearl River) basin. The Zhujiang River (Pearl River) Delta has a network of rivers, fertile soil, abundant natural resources and a sense population.

The Huaihe, an important river in central China, flows from west to east, with the Huanghe in the north and Yangtze River in the south. Starting in the Tongbai Mountains in Henan, it has its upper reaches in Henan, its middle reaches in Anhui and its lower reaches in Jiangsu. Its trunk is about 1,000 kilometers long and its catchment area about 185,700 square kilometers. The Huaihe basin is mostly plain and has a cultivated area of more than 200 million mu.

The Huaihe had its outlet to the sea about eight centuries ago. In 1194, the Huanghe breached its own dykes and merged with the downriver course of the Huaihe. Before it reverted to its old course in mid-19th century, the Huanghe had deposited large amounts of mud and silt in the lower reaches of the Huaihe and sealed up the latter’s outlet to the sea. With the passage of time, the waters of the Huaihe converged to form two large lakes, Hongze and Gaoyou. In its high-water season the Huaihe flows through the Honze and Gaoyou lakes and the Grand Canal into the Yangtze River near Yangzhou before emptying into the sea. Because its lower reached its dykes and caused 250 major floods in the five centuries or more before 1949. Since the birth of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, many reservoirs and flood-detention projects have been built in its upper and middle reaches, new courses have been laid out in its lower reaches and its outlet to the sea has been widened. In this way, the greater part of its water now flows into the Yangtze River and the rest into the Huanghai Sea through the new channels. Today, the Huaihe basin has an irrigated area of about 100 million mu, and the disaster-ridden, low yielding region is on its way to prosperity.

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