Huai River Warning

Author: Chen Guidi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: "Walking a thousand miles is not as good as the banks of the Huai River." "When the Jianghuai is ripe, the world is fed." This ancient song has been passed down through countless generations. The Huai River originates from the main peak, Taibai Ding, of Mount Tongbai in Henan Province. Initially, it was merely a shallow, thread-like stream, meandering through perilous mountains and valleys between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. It continuously gathered and flowed. When it reached the vast plain, it embraced the vastness of its heart, merging with hundreds of rivers such as the Quan River, Ying River, Wo River, Kui River, Yi River, and Shu River. Thus, it rapidly became a mighty river, eventually becoming a large river lying across the vital heartland of the motherland.
The Huai River is an extremely unfortunate river. Its fate in China, and even in the world, is rare. It is recorded that the Yellow River, carrying a large amount of silt, began to invade the Huai River as early as the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The most severe incident occurred in 1194 AD, when the Yellow River burst its banks in Yangwu (now Anyang County, Henan) and the Jin rulers there hoped to use the floodwaters to harass the Southern Song Dynasty. The ruthless Yellow River, unimpeded on the vast plain of the Huai River, rushed for a thousand miles, stealing the Huai River's path to the sea. From then on, the Yellow River began a history of seizing the Huai River that lasted for over seven hundred years.
Today, after more than 40 years of arduous efforts in managing the Huai River, water disasters have subsided, but pollution has emerged. The 1993 "China Environmental Condition Bulletin" published by the State Environmental Protection Administration stated: "The Huai River basin suffers from heavy water pollution. During dry periods, water quality pollution is severe, with 82% of the river sections exceeding standards." The Huai River has become the most heavily polluted river in China. This harm is even more profound than that brought by the Yellow River. It directly endangers the living environment of the people on both banks and affects future generations.
"Walking a thousand miles is not as good as the banks of the Huai River." "When the Jianghuai is ripe, the world is fed." This ancient song has been passed down through countless generations. The Huai River originates from the main peak, Taibai Ding, of Mount Tongbai in Henan Province. Initially, it was merely a shallow, thread-like stream, meandering through perilous mountains and valleys between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. It continuously gathered and flowed. When it reached the vast plain, it embraced the vastness of its heart, merging with hundreds of rivers such as the Quan River, Ying River, Wo River, Kui River, Yi River, and Shu River. Thus, it rapidly became a mighty river, eventually becoming a large river lying across the vital heartland of the motherland.
On the map of China, no river is as densely interconnected as the Huai River. It has more than 120 first-tier tributaries, over 460 second-tier tributaries, and more than 100 major rivers spanning multiple provinces within its basin. It nourishes over 150 million people on both banks, with the highest population density among all major river basins in China! The Huai River basin spans most of Henan Province, northern Anhui and Jiangsu, southern Shandong, and a small part of Hubei. It includes 36 cities and counties renowned both domestically and internationally, such as Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Xuchang, Pingdingshan, Fuyang, Bengbu, Huainan, Huaibei, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Huaiyin, Yancheng, Linting, Jining, Zaozhuang, and Lianyungang; as well as over 182 towns and cities, such as Bozhou, Suzhou, Chengzhou, Jinzhou, Xiangcheng, Huai'an, Lankao, Qufu, and Yunxi. These are scattered like stars across the land.
The Huai River was once known as the Huai River. It is as ancient as our nation. It is said that the tribes of Fuxi and Nüwa once lived along the banks of the Ying River in the upper reaches of the basin and in the area of Huaiyang in Henan Province today. The first of the Three Kings, Yu the Great, not only married a woman from the Tu Mountain clan along the Huai River but also, to divert the Huai River, passed by his home three times without entering, ultimately making this land prosperous and thriving. The first slave-owning state in Chinese history, the Xia Dynasty, was established here. The rise of the Xia and Shang dynasties created splendid Eastern culture. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the states often bordered the Huai River. Later, whenever China was divided into northern and southern regions in history, the Huai River often served as the boundary. Only during the Southern and Northern Dynasties did the Southern dynasties of Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen, and the Northern dynasties of Northern Wei, Northern Qi, and Northern Zhou, oppose each other for over 170 years, with the Huai River as the dividing line. In the unified period, the Huai River was often the boundary between prefectures, counties, and districts. Therefore, the banks of the great river were often the scene of fierce battles, with countless instances of flashing swords, drums, and horns, staging