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    THE YELLOW RIVER

    Written by: Feng Yang
    Posted on: July 30, 2012 | | 中文

    The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China and is regarded as the Mother River of the nation.  Its basin area is called “the cradle of Chinese civilization.”

    Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province, The Yellow River flows eastward through north China and runs into the Bohai Sea. The 5464-km long river runs through nine provinces i.e. Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Sha’anxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong. Its middle reaches pass through the Loess Plateau, where large amounts of mud and sand are discharged into the river. The sediment elevates the river bed, making the lower reaches the most famous “river above ground.” With the high embankment, the waters therefore seem to “move out of heaven.”

    Chinese people consider themselves as the descendants of the Yan and the Huang. But who is Yan and who is Huang? They were the clan leaders who lived about 5,000 years ago on the bank of the Yellow River and are thus referred to as the Yan Emperor and the Huang Emperor.

    Yan and Huang shared the same ancestor and each one of them represented an era. Their clans later mixed together into one united group of people who became the great Huaxia Chinese. Their descendants, also known as the Chinese people, are therefore called as “the descendants of the Yan and the Huang.”

    There developed a civilization in the Yellow River basin area that was comparatively at highly developed stage. And mature techniques of this civilization included water control, astronomy, calendar, and math calculation, and technologies of agriculture, animal taming, pottery making, and metal smelting, which is believed to  have  been developed here for at least 1,000 year earlier than those of the western world.  

    The most magnificent and famous scenery of the Yellow River is the Hukou Waterfall, located at the intersection of Ji County of Shanxi Province and Yichuan of Sha’anxi Province. The river water, after rushing for thousand miles, arrive at Hukou where the width of the river abruptly narrows down from over 200m to about 50m and falls to the grand but narrow gorge  as if water were pouring down from a grand teapot, hence the name “Hukou” (literally means “teapot  mouth” in Chinese). In 2003, Hukou Waterfall was named as a national geo-park by the Ministry of Land and Resources of the country.

    The Yellow River basin area, where the soil is fertile, is famous for its varieties of products, beautiful in scenery, and in this area about 40 percent of the country’s population lives.

    The river is also the major water source of Northwest and North China. It has witnessed the continuous efforts devoted to control the water. The Xiaolangdi hydraulic project and its Dam, whose construction was completed at the end of 2001, is not only the monument of the Chinese history of controlling the Yellow River water but also a masterpiece in the water conservancy history of the whole world. The project is capable of controlling flood, preventing ice-flow, generating electricity, and de-silting. The success of the project marks the prominent achievement of China in controlling the river water.

    Selected From: A Legend of  the Yellow River
     


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021