The Yellow River
The Yellow River is a major river in northern China and the second-longest river in the country with a total length of 5,464 kilometers. It originates from the Bayan Har Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, flows through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Loess Plateau, and the North China Plain, and finally empties into the Bohai Sea. The river's name derives from the yellowish color of its water caused by the massive amount of sediment carried from the Loess Plateau in its middle reaches.
The Yellow River is a crucial element of Chinese civilization and the foundation of the Chinese nation. The Yellow River basin is one of the main cradles of Chinese civilization, containing numerous Neolithic cultural sites, such as Lantian, Banpo, and Longshan. Over 6,000 years ago, agriculture began in the Yellow River basin, and clans and tribes began to form over 4,000 years ago, with the tribes led by Yandi Emperor and Yellow Emperor being the most dominant. They later merged with other tribes to form the "Huaxia tribe", which was the precursor to the Chinese nation.
For over 3,000 years of China's 5,000-year civilization, the Yellow River basin was the epicenter of ancient China's politics, economy, culture, and technology. It was home to ancient capitals such as Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Anyang and is abundant in historical heritage and cultural landscapes. Thus, the Yellow River has become a cultural conduit that connects the east and west of China and the rest of the Eurasian continent. It continues to hold a significant position even today.
Agrarian development in the Yellow River basin nurtured regional cultural traditions and promoted cross-cultural exchanges and integration in areas such as literature, art, as- tronomy, law, technology, architecture, language, and customs. This laid the groundwork for the multi-ethnic integration of the Chinese nation. As a result, the Yellow River is also known as the "Mother River" of the Chinese nation.
Historically, the Yellow River often caused significant damage. Severe flooding occurred from time to time, affecting people's lives and livelihoods. In response, the Communist Party of China established the Yellow River Conservancy Commission for Hebei-Shandong-Henan Liberation Area in 1946. Unrelenting efforts to tame flooding have continued over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and significant progress has been made in managing and protecting the Yellow River, successfully preventing severe flooding from occurring during flood seasons.
黄河
黄河是中国北方地区的大河，中国第二长河，干流全长5464千米。黄河发源于青藏高原巴颜喀拉山，流经青藏高原、黄土高原和华北平原，最后注入渤海。因中段流经黄土高原地区夹带大量泥沙而呈黄色河水，故称“黄河”。
黄河文化是中华文明的重要组成部分，是中华民族的根和魂。黄河流域是中华文明的主要发源地之一，分布有蓝田文化、半坡文化、龙山文化等大量新石器文化遗址。早在6000多年前，黄河流域内已开始出现农业活动，4000多年前开始形成氏族部落，以炎帝、黄帝两大部族最为强大，后融合其他部族，形成中华民族的前身“华夏族”。中华民族5000多年文明史上，黄河流域有3000多年处于古代中国政治、经济、文化、科技中心，分布有郑州、西安、洛阳、开封、安阳等古都，富集着大量历史遗产和文化景观，黄河也因此成为连通东西国土、沟通欧亚大陆的文化运河，至今仍然处于重要地位。黄河流域依托农耕文明诞育了地域性传统文化，推动了文学艺术、天文立法、科技建筑、语言习俗等跨文化交流与融合，铸就了中华民族多元一体的根基。黄河也因此被誉为中华民族的“母亲河”。
历史上，黄河水患严重，曾给人民生产生活造成了巨大困扰。从1946年中共领导成立冀鲁豫解放区黄河水利委员会，到中华人民共和国成立70多年来的艰辛探索和不懈努力，黄河治理保护工作取得重大成就，创造了伏秋大汛岁岁安澜的奇迹。
