Hai River

Coordinates: 38°57′N 117°43′E / 38.950°N 117.717°E / 38.950; 117.717
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the river in China. For the canal in Iraq, see
Shatt al-Hayy
.
Hai River
Hai He
Hai River in Tianjin
Hai River basin
Native name海河 (Chinese)
Location
CountryChina
StateTianjin, Hebei, Beijing, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shandong
Physical characteristics
SourceTaihang Mountains、Yan Mountains
MouthBohai Sea
Length1,329 km (826 mi)
Basin size318,200 km2 (122,900 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average717 m3/s (25,300 cu ft/s)
Hai River
Hanyu Pinyin
Bái Hé

The Hai River (海河, lit. "Sea River"),

river connecting Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea
.

During the Song dynasty, the main stream of the Hai River was called the lower section of the Jie River. In the Jin and Yuan dynasties, it was renamed as Zhígǔ River (直沽河, lit. “Straight Gu River") and Dàgǚ River (大沽河, lit. “Great Gu River") respectively. The name Hai River first appeared towards the end of the Ming dynasty.[1]

The Hai River at

Tongzhou. The Northern Canal (sharing a channel with Bai He) is also the only waterway from the sea to Beijing
. Therefore, early Westerners also called the Hai He the Bai He.

At Tianjin, through the Grand Canal, the Hai connects with the

Yangtze rivers. The construction of the Grand Canal greatly altered the rivers of the Hai He basin. Previously, the Wei, Ziya Yongding
and Bai Rivers flowed separately to the sea. The Grand Canal cut through the lower reaches of these rivers and fused them into one outlet to the sea, in the form of the current Hai He.

The Hai River is 1,329 kilometers (826 mi) long measured from the longest tributary. However, the Hai River is only around 70 kilometers (43 mi) from Tianjin to its estuary. Its basin has an area of approximately 319,000 km2 (123,000 sq mi).

History

The Bund of the Hai River.

On 20 May 1858, the Pei-ho, as it was then known, was the scene of an invasion by Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War whereby the Taku Forts were captured.[2]

In 1863 seagoing ships could reach the head of navigation at

Tongzhou, but the crooked river was difficult for large vessels.[3]
During the
Battle of Taku Forts (1900), to prevent the western Eight-Nation Alliance from sending ships to attack. This was reported by American military intelligence in the United States. War Dept. by the United States. Adjutant-General's Office. Military Information Division.[4][5][6][7]

Like the Yellow River, the Hai is exceedingly muddy because of the powdery soil through which it flows. The silt carried by the water deposits in the lower reaches, sometimes causing flooding. The waters from the five major tributaries only have one shallow outlet to the sea, which makes such floods stronger. Because China's capital (and second largest city), Beijing, and the third largest city, Tianjin, both lie in the Hai He Basin, Hai He floods cause a significant loss. To alleviate flooding, reservoirs have been built and artificial channels dug to divert excess water directly into the sea. For example, the Chaobai River is diverted to the Chaobai Xin River and no longer joins with the Northern Canal.

Due to industrial and urban development in the Hai He Basin, the volume of water flow has greatly decreased. Many smaller tributaries and some of the major tributaries are dry for most of the year. With reduced water flow, water pollution worsens. The water shortage in the Hai He basin is expected to be alleviated by the

South-North Water Transfer Project
.

See also

References

  1. ^ 王国春, 海河志编纂委员会 (1997). 海河志: 第一卷 [Hai River Annals: Volume One] (in Chinese). 中国水利水电出版社. p. 128.
  2. ^ "List of Casualties". Bulletins and Other State Intelligence for the Year 1858. Part 3. London: Harrison and Sons: 2869–2874. 1860.
  3. ^ Alexander Michie,The Siberian Overland Route from Peking to Petersburg, 1864
  4. G.P.O.
    p. 533. Retrieved February 19, 2011.(Document (United States. War Dept.))(Original from Harvard University)
  5. Govt. print. off. p. 533. Retrieved February 19, 2011. June 15, it was learned that the mouth of the river was protected by electric mines, that the forts at Taku were.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )    (Issue 33 of Publication (United States. Adjutant-General's Office. Military Information Division) Issue 143 of Document, United States War Dept Issue 33 of Publication, United States Adjutant-General's Office)
  6. ISBN 9780823901456
    . Retrieved February 19, 2011.(Original from the University of Wisconsin - Madison)
  7. G.P.O. p. 533. Retrieved February 19, 2011. June 15, it was learned that the mouth of the river was protected by electric mines, that the forts at Taku were.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )(Issue 143 of Document (United States. War Dept.))(Original from the New York Public Library)

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Domagalski, J.L., et al. (2001). Comparative water-quality assessment of the Hai He River basin in the People's Republic of China and three similar basins in the United States [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1647]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Hai He (category)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hai_River&oldid=1220512726"