Few sights in China impressed me more than the first glimpse of the Yellow River. It wasn’t just its mighty dimensions or the huge bridge from where I studied its reflections, but mainly the fact that it was almost completely frozen, except for a narrow canal at its center; having lived in Mediterranean zones for most of my life that was an awesome sight. I couldn’t help but wonder at the obvious indifference of the denizens to the irresistible beauty of the scene; routine had blinded them. Only travelers seem to have that ability – so common in children – of opening the eyes and enjoying the beauty of our world. There is nothing like experiencing that difference of attitude to reinforce the knowledge of – and the thanks for – being alive. The world is big and we are living it.
At that moment the bridge became more than the means to stay above the semi-frozen water; it became a symbol. A device aimed for travelers moving from one shore to the other, a bridge between the cradle of the local culture and modern time, a bridge welcoming travelers arriving from distant shores. Oblivious to these thoughts, a man pushed a stall loaded with blocks of nuts and raisins through the bridge.
The River
At 5,464km long, the Yellow River or Huang He is the second longest river in China, after the Yangtze and the sixth longest in the world. Thirteen tributaries create this river. From its sources, Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake, in the Bayankala Mountains in Qinghai Province, the river loops north and then bends south, creating the "Great Bend," and then flows eastwards across northern China to the Gulf of Bohai; its mouth is at Dongying, Shandong.
The Name
Its basin is the birth-place of the Chinese civilization; thus it is also called "The Mother River of China" and "The Cradle of Chinese Civilization." In ancient times it was known as "He," or "River;" the first reference to it as "Yellow River" is in the Book of Han written in the Western Han dynasty (206BC – 9AC) and is the result of the ochre color given by the loess deposits it carries. The provinces of Hebei (North of River) and Henan (South of River) derive their names from it.
A Moody River
The Yellow River is moody. Since 1972 it had dried during the dry season in most years, mainly due to irrigation needs. In a different mood, the river has flooded 1593 times in recorded history and changed its course eighteen times, the last such an event was in 1897. Several times it changed its flow into the Huai River; the silt it added caused a permanent change in the Huai River, which nowadays flows into the Hongze Lake, and then runs southwards towards the Yangtze River. The flatness of Northern China contributes to the deadliness of the floods since a slight rise in water level would mean a large area of land would be flooded.
Natural Disasters
Up to two million deaths were caused in 1887 by the river when it flooded the North China Plain. In 1931 a similar disaster caused up to four million deaths.
Wars
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, in 1938, Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist troops broke a dike holding back the Yellow River in order to stop the Japanese troops and caused the death of approximately a million people.
Cities and Provinces
Lanzhou is the first major city appearing along the river; other important cities are Wuhai, Baotou, Kaifeng, and Jinan. The river crosses nine provinces: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong.
Dams
There are twelve hydroelectric power dams on the Yellow River, a silent testimony of the significant amount of energy-thirsty industries along its shores. Due to the high silt load the life span of most of them is expected to be limited. A planned South-North Water Transfer Project involves several schemes to divert water from the Yangtze River, one in the western headwaters of the rivers where they are closest to one another, a second from the upper reaches of the Han River, and the last using the historic Grand Canal’s route.