CHINA'S SORROW

Hwang Ho are the yellow river is popularly known as China's Sorrow because of its devastating floods .This remarkable stream is one of the largest rivers in the world and second largest river in China being second only to the yangtze.It has it sources in tibet and meanders 2700 miles  through northern china.Yellow river is merely a literal translation of chinese twang ("Yellow") and ho ("River").The stream was so named from the fact that the water has the yellowish colorowing to the presence of muddy earth in solution.Enormous quantities of infinitesimal particles of silt known to geologist as loess are blown by the wind into the upper reaches of the stream from the boby desert country.In flood times this material may constitute as high as 18% of the volume of water.The yellow sea into which the Yellow river flows also as the same Yellowish hue.The chinese call the sea hwang hai literally "Yellow sea" hai being chinese for "sea". The China's sorrow also called the ungovernable and the scourge of the sons of Han is especially destractive because it not only overflow its banks but also changes its entire lower course.

It has completely altered its outlet a dozen times are more than last 4000 years.Silt from the loess country continually raises the bed of the river and necessitates and construction of higher and higher dikes and levees at some point the river is more than 60 feet above the neighboring country and embankment designed to prevent floods actually contribute to the hazard.In 1852 the yellow river  shifted its mouth from the bay of haichow south of the shantung peninsula to its ancient mouth in the gulf of chihli a distance of some 4000 miles At that time 1000 miles canal built by a 13th century emperor to connect the Hwang Ho with the Yangtze kiang was destroyed.Owing to the swiftness of its current the Hwang Ho is almost useless for the navigation of large vessels and consequently there are few large cities on its banks.

  

 A river of northern china rising in the Kunlun mountains and flowing about 5400 km(3350 mi) generally eastward to the bohai sea the largest river in china rising in SE Quinghai and flowing east,south,east again to the gulf of bohai south of Tianjin it has changed its course several times in recorded history.Length of about 4350 km (2700 miles).One point that was missed and unique to this river is its tendency to change its course a couple of 100 miles before its joins the sea whether north or south of the country side has several traces of its past course.This tendency of a big cause real havoc like no other river.Shantung peninsula is not a small area.Imagine Mississipi river suddenly altering the course with no prior notice to join atlantic ocean north of florida.