Written By John Bradley
The Yellow River got its name because of the ochre-yellow colour of the muddy water in the lower reaches of the river.
Each year, the river carries 1.6 billion tons of fine sediment (loess) when its middle reaches flows through China’s Loess Plateau region. It carries more sediment per cubic meter than any other major river in the world, and deposits most of it long before it reaches the delta.
The Yellow River, is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze, and the sixth longest in the world, but less than the 100th for discharge. It dominates dry northern China. Unlike other rivers, it seems to decrease in flow as it goes.
Hukou Waterfall, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, is the largest “yellow” waterfall in the world, and the second largest waterfall in China after Huangguoshu Waterfall. The waterfall is named Hukou because the riverbed there has eroded into a spout like an enormous teapot, from which the rushing “yellow” water pours out.
Chinese people say the Yellow River is “the Mother River of China” and “the Cradle of Chinese Civilization”. Historical evidence shows that the lower Yellow River basin was where Chinese civilization began, and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history.
Usually a river is the lowest point around — not so with the Yellow River! Due to sediment accumulation, and successive levees built to contain the raised flow, the riverbed is up to 10 meters (33 feet) above the surrounding cities and farmlands in most of its lower reaches. So it is also called “the Hanging River” or “Above Ground River”. The Yellow River is the only river where ships sail overhead!
Because of the continual rise of the riverbed caused by the accumulated silt, the river tends to overflow its banks, and sometimes leave its banks far behind (see below). Surrounding areas were extremely prone to flooding and river course change.
The Yellow River has long been known as “China’s Sorrow.” It was the most destructive and dangerous river in the world, until damming and massive abstraction have reduced it to a carefully controlled trickle. The 1931 Yellow River Flood was the most devastating natural disaster ever recorded, killing 1–4 million.
