Yellow River and Cancale: Difference between pages

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{{French commune

{{for|other Yellow Rivers}}

|nomcommune=Cancale<br>[[Image:France_Cancale_bordercropped.jpg|300px]]<br><small>The fishing port of Cancale</small>

|région=[[Bretagne]]

|département=[[Ille-et-Vilaine]]

|arrondissement=Saint-Malo

|canton=[[Canton of Cancale|Cancale]]

|insee=35049 |cp=35260

|maire=Maurice Jannin

|mandat=

|intercomm=[[Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Malo]]

|longitude=01° 49' 35" W

|latitude= 48° 40' 46" N |alt moy=45 m |alt mini=0 m |alt maxi=

|hectares=1,261

|km²=13 |sans=5,203

|date-sans=1999

|dens=413

|date-dens=1999}}

[[Image:France_Oyster_Harvest_bordercropped.jpg|thumb|250px|Harvesting oysters in Cancale]]

'''Cancale''' ( ''Kankaven'' in [[breton]]) is a [[commune in France|commune]] of the [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]

{{Infobox_river | river_name = Yellow River (''Huang He'')

''[[département in France|département]]'', in [[France]].

| image_name = Huanghemap.png

| caption = Course of the Yellow River with major cities

| origin = [[Bayankala Mountains]], [[Qinghai Province]]

| mouth = [[Bohai Sea]]

| basin_countries = [[China]]

| length = 5464 km (3395 mi)

| elevation = 4500 m (14,765 ft)

| discharge = 2,571 m³/s (90,808 ft³/s)

| watershed = 752 000 km²

}}

The '''Yellow River''' or '''Golden River''' ({{zh-tspw|t=黃河|s=黄河|p=Huáng Hé{{audio|zh-Huang_he.ogg|listen}}|w=Hwang-ho}}, sometimes simply called the River in ancient Chinese) is the second longest river in [[China]] (after [[Yangtze River]]) and the [[List of rivers by length|seventh longest]] in the world. It is 5464 km long <ref>[[Chinese history]] recorded that Yellow River has changed its course 18 times</ref>. Originating in the [[Bayankala Mountains]] in [[Qinghai]] [[Province (China)|Province]] in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into the [[Bohai Sea]]. The Yellow River basin has an east-west distance of 1900 km, and north-south distance of 1100 km. Total basin area is 752443 km².

==Tourism==

The middle stream of the Yellow River passes through the [[Loess Plateau]] where substantial erosion takes place. The large amount of mud and sand discharged into the river makes the Yellow River the most [[sediment]]-laden river in the world. The highest recorded annual level of silts discharged into the Yellow River is 3.91 billion tons in [[1933]]. The highest silt concentration

----

'''''[[

== HELLO MATE ==

]]''''' level was recorded in 1977 at 920 kg/m³.{{fact}} These sediments later deposit in the slower lower reaches of the river, elevating the [[river bed]] and creating the famous "river above ground". In [[Kaifeng]], Yellow River is 10 meters above the ground level.<ref>[http://www.cis.umassd.edu/~gleung/geofo/geogren.html Yellow River: Geographic and Historical Settings]</ref>

Cancale lies along the coast to the east of [[Saint-Malo]]. It is a picturesque fishing village popular with visitors many of whom are drawn by its reputation as the '[[oyster]] capital of Brittany'. Though a small town it is well served by a large number of restaurants, many specialising in seafood. When not eating one can sit and watch the bustle of this busy little town with many stalls selling crustaceans of all types.

The Yellow River is called the "Mother River of China" and "the Cradle of Chinese Civilization" in China, as its basin is the birth-place of the northern Chinese civilizations and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. But frequent devastating flooding, largely due to the elevated river bed in its lower course, has also earned it the unenviable distinction as "China's Sorrow".

There is a pleasant coastal path which permits a circular walk from the town to the [[Pointe du Grouin]] with views across the bay towards [[Mont Saint Michel]].

==Name==

Eugène Feyen painted Cancale and the inhabitants with the oyster-picking Cancalaises for several decades around 1865-1908.

Early Chinese literature refers to the Yellow River simply as ''He'' (河), or "River". The first appearance of the name "Yellow River" (黄河) is in the [[Book of Han]] (汉书) written in the [[Western Han]] dynasty (206 BC–AD 9). The name "Yellow River" describes the perennial ochre-yellow colour of the muddy water in the lower course of the river.

==Oysters==

Sometimes the Yellow River is poetically called the "Muddy Flow" ({{zh-cp|c=濁流|p=Zhuo Liu}}). The [[Chinese expression]] "when the Yellow River flows clear" is similar to the English expression "when hell freezes over."

History has it that [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] had his oysters brought to [[Versailles]] from Cancale. Centuries later, the farming of oysters is still a major activity in the port and there are oyster beds covering about 7.3 square kilometres easily seen from the pier at the harbour. These beds harvest about 25,000 tons of oysters each year.

== History and Culture ==

[[Image:MotherHuanghe2.jpg|right|thumb|"Mother River"]]

The Yellow River has special importance in the origins of the Chinese civilization. Chinese refer to it as "the Mother River" and "the Cradle of the Chinese civilization". Traditionally, it is believed that the Chinese civilization originated in the Yellow River basin.

During the long [[history of China]], the Yellow River has been considered a blessing as well as a curse and has been [[nickname]]d both "China's Pride" (''Zhōngguó de Jiāo'ào'') and "China's Sorrow" (''Zhōngguó de Tòng''). Records indicate that, from [[602 BC]] to present, the river's course made at least 5 major large-scale changes in direction and its [[levee]]s were breached more than 1,500 times. A major course change in 1194 took over the [[Huai River]] drainage system throughout the next 700 years. The mud in the Yellow River literally blocked the mouth of the Huai River and left thousands homeless. The Yellow River adopted its present course in 1897 after the latest course change occurred in 1855. Currently, the Yellow River flows through [[Jinan]], capital of the [[Shandong]] province and ends in the [[Bohai Sea]].

The river gets its yellow color mostly from the fine-grained calcareous [[silt]]s which originate in the [[Loess Plateau]] and are carried in the flow. Centuries of silt deposition and [[Dike (construction)|diking]] has caused the river to flow above the surrounding farmland, making flooding a critically dangerous problem. Flooding of the Yellow River has caused some of the highest [[death toll]]s in world history, with the [[1887 Huang He flood]] killing 900,000 to 2,000,000 and the [[1931 Huang He flood]] killing 1,000,000 to 3,700,000. In 1938, during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], the [[Kuomintang|Nationalist]] troops under [[Chiang Kai-Shek]] broke the levees holding back the River in order to stop the advancing [[Japan]]ese troops. The river at that time flooded a huge area and took some 500,000 to 900,000 lives.

Another historic source of devastating floods was the collapse of upstream [[ice dam]]s in [[Inner Mongolia]] with their accompanying sudden release of vast quantities of impounded water. There have been 11 such major floods in the past century, each causing tremendous loss of life and property. Nowadays, explosives dropped from aircraft are used to break the ice dams before they become dangerous.

Some of the known flood defenses used in ancient times were the building of ditches, walls (dams), [[levee]]s, and rebound channels to route floodwaters around a blockage. The main problem was that the solutions were local and sometimes the dams were too small and weak for the impact. If the river broke down the defenses, it would cause far more damage than if no levees had been built.

Also, the new Sky Train that runs through Tibet makes a stop in Lanzhou. The train goes to such high altitudes that passengers need oxygen masks to breath. Sadly in the first month of the trains running, it suffered a loss of life. A seventy five year old man died of heart failure due to lack of oxygen. There are some worries that some supports arent stable due to the ground the freezes and thaws causing it to shift. but the government has implemented special machines to keep the ground frozen.

==Characteristics==

The Yellow River is notable for the large amount of [[silt]] it carries -- 1.6 billion tons annually at the point where it descends from the [[Loess Plateau]]. If it is running to the sea with sufficient volume, 1.4 billion tons are carried to the sea.

In modern times, since 1972 when it first dried, the river has dried in its lower reaches, from [[Jinan]] to the sea, in most years, in 1997 for 226 days. The low volume is due to increased demands for [[irrigation]], by a factor of five since 1950. Water diverted from the river by 1999 served 140 million people and irrigated 74000 km² of land. The highest volume occurs during the rainy season, from July to October, when 60% of the volume of the river flows. On the other hand, water for irrigation is needed between March and June. In order to capture excess water for use when needed and for flood control and electricity generation, several dams have been built, but due to the high silt load their life is expected to be limited. A proposed [[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, another from the upper reaches of the [[Han River (Hanshui)|Han River]], and a third using the route of the [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]].

Due to its heavy load of silt the Yellow River is a [[depositing stream]]: that is, it deposits part of its carried burden of soil in its bed in stretches where it is flowing slowly. These deposits elevate the riverbed which flows between [[levee|natural levee]]s in its lower reaches. Should a flood occur, the river may break out of the levees into the surrounding lower flood plain and adopt a new course. Historically this has occurred about once every hundred years. In modern times, considerable effort has been made to strengthen levees and control floods.

The Yellow River Delta totals 8,000 square kilometers. However, since 1996 it has been reported to be shrinking slightly each year, through erosion.<ref>"Yellow River Delta Shrinking 7.6 Square Kilometers Annually", ''China Daily'' February 1, 2005, retrieved 14 September 2006 from http://china.org.cn/english/2005/Feb/119497.htm </ref>

== Geography ==

From its sources, Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake, high in the Bayankala Mountains in [[Qinghai Province]] in the far west of China, the Yellow River loops north, bends south, creating the "Great Bend", and then flows generally eastwards across northern China to the [[Bohai Sea|Gulf of Bohai]], draining a [[drainage basin|basin]] of 752443 km², which nourishes 120 million people.

The river is commonly divided into three stages. However, different scholars have different opinions in how the three stages are divided. This article adopts the division by the Yellow River Hydrology Committee.

=== Upper reaches ===

[[Image:yellow_river - A. Holdrinet.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The Yellow River, near Xunhua, in Eastern Qinghai]]

The upper reaches of the Yellow River is a segment starting from the source in the Bayankala Mountains and ending at Hekou County of [[Inner Mongolia]] just before turning sharply to the north. This segment has a total length of 3472 miles and total basin area of 386,000 km² (51.3% of total basin area). Along this length, the elevation of the Yellow River drops 3496 metres, with an average drop of 1%.

The upper reaches can be further divided into three sections: the source, valley, and [[alluvial plain]] section. The source section flows mainly through pastures, swamps, and knolls between the [[Bayankala Mountains]] and [[Anemaqen Mountains]]. The river water is clear and flows steadily. Crystal clear lakes and sluggish meandering are characteristic in this section. The two main lakes along this section are Lake bob (扎陵湖) and Lake Eling (鄂陵湖), having capacities of 4.7 billion and 10.8 billion m³, respectively. At elevations over 4260 m above sea level, they are the largest two plateau fresh water lakes in China.

The valley section stretches from Longyang Gorge in [[Qinghai]] to Qingtong Gorge in [[Gansu]]. Steep cliffs line both sides of the river. The water bed is narrow and the average drop is large, so the flow in this section is extremely turbulent and fast. There are 20 gorges in this section, the more famous of these being the Longyang, Jishi, Liujia, Bapan, and Qingtong Gorges. The flow conditions in this section makes it the best ___location to build [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] plants.

After emerging from the Qingtong Gorge, the river comes into a section of vast alluvial plains, the Yinchuan Plain and Hetao Plain. In this section, the regions along the river are mostly [[deserts]] and [[grasslands]], with very few tributaries. The flow is slow and on both sides of the river. The Hetao Plain has a length of 900 km and width of 30 to 50 km. It is historically the most important irrigation plain along the Yellow River.

=== Middle reaches ===

[[Image:Lanzhou-rio-amarillo-d01.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Yellow River at [[Lanzhou]]]]

The part of Yellow River between Hekou County in [[Inner Mongolia]] and [[Zhengzhou]] in [[Henan]] constitutes the middle reaches of the river. The middle reaches has a length of 1206 km long and basin area of 344,000 km² (45.7% of total), with a total elevation drop of 890 meters, and average drop of 0.074%. There are 30 large tributaries along the middle reaches, and the water flow is increased by 43.5% on this stage. The middle reaches contributes 92% of the river's silts.

From Hekou County to Yumenkou, the river passes through the longest series of continuous valleys on its main course, collectively called the Jinshan Valley. The abundant hydrodynamic resources stored in this section makes it the second most suitable area to build hydroelectric power plants. The famous Hukou Waterfall is in the lower part of this valley.

=== Lower reaches ===

In the lower reaches, from Zhengzhou to the sea, a distance of 786 km, the river is confined to a [[levee]]-lined course as it flows to the northeast across the [[North China Plain]] before emptying into the [[Gulf of Bohai|Bohai Sea]]. The basin area in this stage is only 23,000 km² (3% of total). The total drop in elevation of the lower reaches is 93.6 m, with an average drop of 0.012%.

The silts received from the middle reaches form sediments here, elevating the river bed. During 2000 years of levee construction, excessive sediment deposits have raised the riverbed several meters above the surrounding ground. Few tributaries add to the flow in this stage; nearly all rivers to the south drain into the [[Huai River]], whereas those to the north drain into the [[Hai River]].

==Tributaries of the Yellow River==

*[[White River]] (白河)

*[[Black River]] (黑河)

*[[Huang River]] (湟水)

*[[Zuli River]] (祖厉河)

*[[Qingshui River]] (清水河)

*[[Dahei River]] (大黑河)

*[[Kuye River]] (窟野河)

*[[Wuding River]] (无定河)

*[[Fen River]] (汾河)

*[[Wei River]] (渭河)

*[[Luo River]] (洛河)

*[[Qin River]] (沁河)

*[[Dawen River]] (大汶河)

==Hydroelectric power dams on the Yellow River==

Below is the list of [[hydroelectric]] power stations built on the Yellow River (in bracket is the year to start operation):

*[[Sanmen Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1960)

*Sanshenggong hydroelectric power station (1966)

*[[Qingtong Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1968)

*[[Liujia Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1974)

*[[Yanguo Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1975)

*Tianqiao hydroelectric power station (1977)

*[[Bapan Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1980)

*[[Longyang Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1992)

*[[Da Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1998)

*[[Li Gorge]] hydroelectric power station (1999)

*Wanjiazhai hydroelectric power station (1999)

*[[Xiaolangdi]] hydroelectric power station (2001)

==Provinces and cities on the Yellow River==

Originating in the [[Bayankala Mountains]], the Yellow River now passes nine [[Province (China)|provinces]], namely [[Qinghai]], [[Sichuan]], [[Gansu]], [[Ningxia]], [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Shaanxi]], [[Shanxi]], [[Henan]] and [[Shandong]]. The mouth of the Yellow River is located at [[Dongying]], [[Shandong]].

The provinces of [[Hebei]] and [[Henan]] derive their names from the ''Huang He''. Their names mean respectively "north" and "south of the (Yellow) River".

Major cities located along the Yellow River include (starting from the source): [[Lanzhou]], [[Wuhai]], [[Baotou]], [[Kaifeng]], and [[Jinan]].

==Flooding and changing of course==

The river is extremely prone to [[flood|flooding]]. It has flooded 1593 times in last 3000-4000 years, while its main course changed 18 times and created some of the highest death tolls in Chinese history.

Beginning in 1194, the Yellow River to the north changed its course southwards to run into the [[Huai River]], and changed back and forth several times over the next 700 years. The resulting silting was so heavy that after the Yellow River changed back to its northerly course for the last time in 1897, the Huai He is no longer able to go through its old course. Instead it pools up into [[Hongze Lake]], and then runs southwards towards the Yangtze River.

In [[1938]], during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], the [[KMT|Nationalist]] troops under the orders of [[Chiang Kai-Shek]] broke the dike holding back the Yellow River in order to stop the advancing [[Japan]]ese troops. This resulted in the [[1938 Yellow River flood|flooding]] of an area covering 54,000&nbsp;km² and the death of 500,000-900,000 people.

==References and further reading==

<references/>

*Sinclair, Kevin. 1987. ''The Yellow River: A 5000 Year Journey Through China''. (Based on the television documentary). Child & Associates Publishing, Chatswood, Sydney, Australia. ISBN 0-86777-347-2

*"China's Sorrow." Times Past: Pausing to Remember. <http://www.pausingtoremember.net/China's_sorrow.html>.

==External links==

*[http://www.cisbklein.umassd.edude/~gleungbrittany/cancale.php YellowCancale] RiverInformation Homeand Page at UMassD]images

* [http://www4.culture.fr/patrimoines/patrimoine_architectural_et_mobilier/sribzh/main.xsp?execute=show_document&id=MERIMEEIA35003564 {{fr}} Cultural Heritage]

*[http://www.geol.lsu.edu/WDD/ASIAN/Huanghe/huange_he.htm Yellow River delta Information at LSU]

*[http://www.ibiblio.org/chinese-music/Pre_Liberation/D03.Yellow_River_Ballad.au Listen to the ''Yellow River Ballade'' from the [[Yellow River Cantata]]]

*[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/world/asia/19yellowriver.html "A Troubled River Mirrors China’s Path to Modernity" ''New York Times'' November 19, 2006]

==See also==

*[[Grand Canal of China]]

*[[Geography of China]]

*[[North China Plain]]

*[[Loess Plateau]]

*[[List of rivers of Asia]]

*[[List of rivers in China]]

*[[Water resources of China]]

*[[Yellow Sea]]

*[[Yellow River Cantata]]

*[[1938 Yellow River flood]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.cis.umassd.edu/~gleung/ Yellow River Home Page at UMassD]

*[http://www.geol.lsu.edu/WDD/ASIAN/Huanghe/huange_he.htm Yellow River delta Information at LSU]

*[http://www.ibiblio.org/chinese-music/Pre_Liberation/D03.Yellow_River_Ballad.au Listen to the ''Yellow River Ballade'' from the [[Yellow River Cantata]]]

*[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/world/asia/19yellowriver.html "A Troubled River Mirrors China’s Path to Modernity" ''New York Times'' November 19, 2006]

{{commonscat|Huang He}}

[[Category:RiversCommunes of ChinaIlle-et-Vilaine]]

[[Category:Rivers]]

[[br:Kankaven]]

[[am:ቢጫው ወንዝ]]

[[ceb:Cancale]]

[[ar:النهر الأصفر]]

[[cade:Riu GrocCancale]]

[[csfr:Žlutá řekaCancale]]

[[dait:Den Gule FlodCancale]]

[[denl:Gelber FlussCancale]]

[[etpl:Huang HeCancale]]

[[espt:Río AmarilloCancale]]

[[eosr:Flava RiveroCancale]]

[[frsv:Huang HeCancale]]

[[kovi:황허 강Cancale]]

[[id:Sungai Kuning]]

[[it:Fiume Giallo]]

[[he:הנהר הצהוב]]

[[lb:Huang He]]

[[lt:Huanghe]]

[[nl:Gele Rivier]]

[[ja:黄河]]

[[no:Huang He]]

[[ug:سېرىق دەريا]]

[[pl:Huang He]]

[[pt:Rio Amarelo]]

[[ru:Хуанхэ (река)]]

[[sa:हुआंग हे नदी]]

[[simple:Yellow River]]

[[sk:Chuang-che]]

[[sr:Хоангхо]]

[[tr:Huang He]]

[[fi:Keltainenjoki]]

[[sv:Huanghe]]

[[vi:Hoàng Hà]]

[[uk:Хуанхе]]

[[zh:黄河]]