Great Barrier Reef - Heron Island

As I enter a small man-made channel, heading towards the wooden jetty of Heron Island, I first pass by the sunken wreck of HMAS Protector, an 1884 Australian Royal Navy ship commissioned by the South Australian Government to defend its coastal borders. Built in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, the boat made a long journey to Australia and served as a survey vessel for several years in China, followed by WW1 and WW2. In 1943, the ship was abandoned after it collided with a tugboat en route to New Guinea. Two years later, the wreck was purchased for ten pounds and towed to Heron Island to serve as a breakwater. Today it is home to the large seabird, the Brown Booby.

Like Lady Elliot Island, Heron Island is a coral cay of about 40 acres that appeared 6,000 years ago. There is no evidence of indigenous people ever inhabiting the island. The first European sighting was in 1816, but it wasn't occupied until the early 20th century, first by attempting to establish a turtle cannery that soon failed and later becoming a tourist destination.

For a small island, the vegetation is dense, and the forestry is diverse. Pisonia grandis, a flowering tree from the Bougainvillea family, dominates the central and southern parts of the island. To the northwest, the forest is more open, with Cordia subcordata as the flowering tree with pretty orange tubular flowers. The wild poinsettia, native to tropical America, has also been introduced and adapted well on the island. The vegetation is sparser on the northeastern side, where birds and animals dig nesting burrows.

The island is an incredibly important cay; each year, migratory birds such as the Black Noddies and Mutton Birds arrive in droves to breed. It is estimated that up to 200,000 birds may occupy the island during summer. At the same time, female turtles lay eggs, and as the hatchlings emerge, they head for the sea. In the winter months, humpback whales can be seen from the jetty. There is animal activity all year round on Heron Island. The hardest decision to make is which month to visit. For me, seeing the tiny green sea turtles hatch and waddle across the sand to the sea would be the absolute highlight.



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Great Barrier Reef - Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot Island is quite remote, and the only way to access it is by taking a small high-wing plane that lands on a grass airstrip a mere 1954ft (596m) long. As the only coral cay island in the Barrier Reef with an airstrip, only experienced pilots can fly there.
 

The island appeared about 3,500 years ago, and with the help of seabirds' droppings, it established vegetation on it. Sadly, in the late 1800s, guano (bird poo) mining was permitted on the island. Rich in nutrients, guano was a valuable fertilizer. It was also used as a gunpowder ingredient. The mining completely stripped the island of its vegetation, and it remained barren until the 1960s when aviator, Don Adams, began a successful revegetation program.

Within two decades, the island was restored; today, it is home to the manta ray. These graceful, gentle giants are the largest rays in the world. Utterly harmless to humans, there's no better place to observe them than either snorkelling or diving off Lady Elliot Island.

Heading out to the historic lighthouse on the island's southwest corner, I donned my snorkelling gear and immersed myself underwater straight off the beach. It didn't take long to find a squadron of manta rays floating around a coral garden. Although they typically live alone, manta rays do congregate around the mating season or for feeding. As filter feeders, they swim around with their mouths open, eating vast quantities of zooplankton. Each manta ray has a distinctive mark on its belly, much like a human fingerprint, allowing them to be distinguished from one another.

Manta rays love a good clean, so they regularly visit coral reef cleaning stations where remoras, tiny cleaner fish, remove parasites and flaky skin. A remora is fascinating anatomically as its front dorsal fin is flat. This allows the fish to suction itself to the smooth surface of a host animal like rays, whales, turtles, or sharks. It seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship as the remora provides cleaning services while the host protects them from other predators.

Come snorkelling with me and see how many manta rays you can find and what other interesting creatures inhabit this area. Can you see the two sea cucumbers curled next to each other on the ocean floor or the busy school of bigeye trevally flitting around one another? Have fun exploring, and I will see you on Heron Island.



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Great Barrier Reef - Fraser Island

When I think of Fraser Island, I associate it with three things: sand dunes, four-wheel driving, and the wreck of SS Maheno. This easily accessible UNESCO site was home to the Butchulla people, indigenous Australians who called the island K'gari, meaning paradise. They occupied the island for at least 5,000 years before Europeans arrived in the mid-1800s and removed and resettled them.

Separated from the mainland by the Great Sandy Strait, the island is the largest sand island in the world, measuring 76mi (123km) long and 14mi (22km) wide. It has some incredible sand dunes, the highest at 800ft (244m) tall. The sand is primarily grains of quartz (silica), creating a squeaky sound between the toes when walking on it. Millions of years ago, the area which is now Fraser Island had a low, hilly terrain created by volcanic activity. Winds, waves, and ocean currents from the southeast regions of Australia and even Antarctica, when it was a green and lush environment, carried sands across the continental shelf towards the mainland, creating several sand islands, of which Fraser Island is the largest. Year-round winds on the island cause the sand to keep moving, sometimes burying forests and other plant life. One example is the Hammerstone dune, located next to Lake Wabby. Initially, the lake was a stream that flowed to the sea, but the wind kept blowing the sand dune until it blocked the flow. As the sand dune continues to drift into the lake, it is predicted that the lake will cease to exist within a century.

One of Fraser Island's unique features is its tall rainforests growing in its sand. A most unusual combination since sand is sparse in nutrients. It is a fascinating chain of events where the nutrients from sea spray are captured in the air and then deposited on the sand. The fungi in the sand then transfer the nutrients to the plants. I cannot help but recall the iconic line from Jurassic Park, "Life finds a way."

The island has a fantastic array of plants with species including eucalyptus trees, kauri pines, mangroves, coastal heaths, and the king fern, which is known to have the world's longest fronds (up to 30ft/9m).

Amongst all this, there are over 100 freshwater lakes. It is Australia's second-largest concentration of lakes, with the most pristine, clear blue waters, including Lake McKenzie and its beautiful white sandy shores.

While the island has nearly 50 species of mammals, the most intriguing one is the dingo. A native wild dog of Australia, the dingoes on Fraser Island are one of the purest strains surviving today. They are very cunning and have medium-sized bodies designed for speed and agility. Who brought them to Australia is unknown, but they have been here for more than 8,000 years. Dingoes love to travel and swim and are often seen wandering along the beaches. As apex predators, they play an essential role in maintaining the island's natural balance by preying on feral animals and fostering the survival of native species.

Fraser Island is a magnificent place full of dunes for sandboarding, rainforests for hiking, lakes for swimming, and the "75-mile beach" for exciting 4WD expeditions. A beautiful video of Fraser Island



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Great Barrier Reef - Waddy Point

On the northeast coast of Australia lies the largest living structure on the planet, the Great Barrier Reef. Located in the Coral Sea, it stretches over 1,200mi (2,000km), and its width is between 37-155mi (50-250km). Made up of over 3,000 individual reefs and more than 600 islands, the Great Barrier Reef is so big that it can be seen from outer space.

The first European discovery of the Barrier Reef happened by accident in 1770. Captain James Cook was on a secret mission to explore Australia's east coast when he crashed his ship into solid rock only 12mi (19km) from shore. Cook and his crew scrambled throughout the day to plug a leak and save the ship from sinking. Fortunately, high tide on the following eve dislodged the boat from the rocky ledge back into deep water and sailed into safer waters for repairs. Cook didn't know at the time that the solid rock was a coral reef and that he stumbled on the Great Barrier Reef.

Thirty-three years later, Englishman Matthew Flinders circumnavigated Australia, and while sailing through a collection of reefs on the northeast coast, he promptly named it the Great Barrier Reef. It is a suitable name since the outer reef that sits on the edge of the continental shelf acts like a barrier, protecting the mainland from powerful waves and storms from the Pacific Ocean.

Aside from protecting Australia's shores, the Great Barrier Reef is an exquisite marine environment teeming with all kinds of fish species, colourful corals, lush rainforest-covered islands, shallow aquamarine waters, sandy shoals, and plenty of shipwrecks. It is also home to the "Great Eight" living icons: whales, manta rays, clownfish, turtles, potato cod, giant clams, humphead wrasse, and sharks. The reef is such an extraordinary place that it is Australia's tourism crown jewel and has earned its position on the:

● UNESCO World Heritage list;

● Seven Natural Wonders of the World list; and

● Australian World Heritage site.

Beginning at Waddy Point, a rocky headland on Fraser Island, I head north and start my long journey through the Great Barrier Reef. I look forward to island hopping and underwater exploration, swimming with dolphins, and checking out green sea turtle nesting grounds. I look forward to learning about the Traditional Owners and the impact of climate change on the reef's health. I am very excited to see what wonders the Great Barrier Reef holds.



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Great Wall - Yangguan

Yangguan Pass is located west of Dunhuang and it’s essentially the end of the Great Wall. It was a major stronghold on the western border of the Han Dynasty, alongside Yumenguan Pass, east of Dunhuang. Emperor Wu ordered the construction of the two passes to protect the frontier and Dunhuang. The two passes were connected by a 40mi (64km) wall interspersed with beacon towers at 3mi (5km) intervals.   

Both passes served as trading posts on the Silk Road, providing food and water supplies to travellers and armies. Just like Dunhuang, Yangguan profited from the Silk Road trade, until its decline during the Ming era.

With the exception of one beacon tower, nothing else remains of the pass as it was buried beneath the sand dunes, long ago. However, there is a museum in its place exhibiting thousands of items from the two passes and the Silk Road.

The Great Wall is a remarkable structure, built by multiple dynasties across two millennia. It spans over 13,000mi (21,000km) across various parts of China. A lot of effort went into protecting the northern and northwest borders. Mountains and rivers were used as natural barriers and earth, reeds, bricks and stones were used to build and reinforce the Walls. Millions of people were conscripted to work on the Wall and many died on the job. Various ethnic groups ruled, each empire replacing the other through a series of rebellions or military campaigns.

The Great Wall is a Chinese cultural icon and a symbol of its unification. It is a representation of stoicism, cohesiveness and national pride. It has inspired paintings, poems, operas, stories and legends. But most of all it is an engineering marvel.

Let me leave you with a famous folk story called, The Tears of Meng Jiangnu:

Meng Jiangnu met and fell in love with the fugitive scholar, Fan Xiliang. Not long after they were married, Fan was found by the Imperial Guards and promptly dragged away as a prisoner to work on the Great Wall. Meng waited for him day and night. When winter came and Fan did not return, she packed some warm clothes and began her long journey to search for him. When she arrived at the Wall, she was informed that Fan had died and was buried inside the Great Wall. Devastated, she wept for days at the Wall until a section of it collapsed. There in the crumbled heap, Meng found her husband’s bones. She carefully wrapped them in his winter clothes and made the long journey home where Fan had a proper burial.

I may have started at the Old Dragon’s Head near the Bohai Sea but I think I have finally found the dragon’s tail. How about you?




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Great Wall - Dunhuang

The town of Dunhuang is situated in an oasis at the west end of the Hexi Corridor and the start of the Southern Silk Route. On the edge of the city is a crescent-shaped lake called Yueyaquan (aka Crescent Moon Lake) and the Singing Sand Dunes, that emit melodic sounds when the wind blows.

Originally occupied by nomadic tribes, Han Emperor Wu dispatched his military troops to expel them and by 121BC Dunhuang was brought under Han control. The emperor promptly ordered a Great Wall built, which stretched 85mi (136km) in length and consisted of 80 beacon towers. The structure of the wall was a combination of local sand and reeds, compacted together in layers.

Dunhuang, along with Jiuquan, Zhangye and Wuwei, was a frontier garrison town and played an important military role in the safety of both the region and inner China.

It benefited greatly from the Silk Road. As the intersecting city for the three main silk routes, Dunhuang was a key base for water and food supplies and a welcome sight for arriving travellers. The town prospered from the heavy traffic flow until it was plundered and destroyed by the invading Mongols. The town was rebuilt and subsequently brought under the Yuan Dynasty (Mongol Empire).

By the Ming Dynasty, Dunhuang went into decline, as the Silk Road was replaced by the Maritime Silk Route.

South of the city are the sandstone Mogao Caves. Spanning one mile (1.6km) in length, the caves were built from the 4th-14th centuries and filled with frescoes and more than 2,000 Buddha statues. One of the caves was accidentally stumbled upon by a Taoist monk in the 1900s, inside was a vast collection of written works. It is estimated that 15,000 manuscripts in several languages and 1,100 bundles of scrolls were discovered. In 1987 the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Today Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves are threatened by the encroaching Kumtag Desert. Centuries of overgrazing has caused the desert to spread and continue expanding. Hopefully a solution can be found soon before precious archaeological sites are swallowed up.


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Great Wall - Yumen City

Located west of the Hexi Corridor on the edge of Gobi Desert is the small city of Yumen. Today it is an industrial city, primarily focused on oil drilling, wind power-generation and large-scale factories. However, 2,100 years ago, when it came under Han Dynasty control, it was a thoroughfare for merchants, warriors, diplomats and missionaries to trade goods and exchange knowledge, technology and religious beliefs.

This ancient trade route, along with several others, made up the renowned Silk Road. This overland route began in the city of Xi’an, then travelled along the northwest section of the Great Wall, over the Pamir Mountains, through Afghanistan and to the Mediterranean Sea where the goods were shipped to Europe.

At 4,000mi (6,400km) in length, the Silk Road was a melting pot of cultures and ethnic diversity. Very few people travelled it in its entirety, giving rise to a number of middlemen and trading posts along the way. Bandits were a major threat to travellers. To protect themselves, they would often join together in caravans and over time, inns to accommodate them cropped up.

Silk was one of the major goods exported by China to the west, hence the name Silk Road. Production of silk was a closely guarded secret in China and the fabric was highly prized by the Roman elite. Being of high value but low weight, silk was an ideal product to carry on long distances. Other significant items used for trade were: horses, jade, paper, spices, glassware, furs and unfortunately also slaves.

Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to travel to China via the Silk Road. He was 17 years old when he embarked on a journey with his father to the far east. Leaving Italy by ship, they sailed to Acre, in modern-day Israel and then travelled by camel to Persia (present-day Iran) where they planned to sail straight into China. The ships, however, were not seaworthy and so they decided to continue overland through the Silk Road. During their trip, the Polos joined a travelling caravan that was soon ambushed by bandits who used a sandstorm as cover. They were fortunate to escape through a nearby town but sadly many of the caravan members were killed or enslaved. It took the Polos three years to reach Kublai Khan’s summer palace in Shangdu, China.

Trade on the Silk Road came to an end in the 15th century when transportation shifted to the sea, this became known as the Maritime Silk Road. The ability to carry more goods at a cheaper price marked the decline of the overland route.

The Silk Road could be seen as an early example of globalisation. It connected the Orient to Europe through trade and cultural exchange and at its end it inspired Europeans to cross the ocean and explore the New World (the Americas).



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Great Wall - Zhangye

Zhangye is a city that sits in the centre of the Hexi Corridor and was an important outpost on the Silk Road. It was also a border town, protecting inner China from the nomads in the northwest. Across centuries, dynasties and nomadic tribes engaged in warfare in the area, such as the Han against the Xiongnu, Western Xia conquering the Uyghur Kingdom or the Mongols exterminating Western Xia.

In the city centre is the Great Buddha Temple. It was built in the 12th century during the Western Xia era when they controlled the Hexi Corridor and it is largely known for its massive reclining Buddha, stretching 115ft (35m) in length. It was rumoured that Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, was born in the temple and that the last emperor of the Song Dynasty was exiled here and became a monk. However, no evidence to corroborate either story has been found.

Southeast of the city centre is Shandan County, home to several remains of the Great Wall. Although many sections have crumbled, were mowed down, got hollowed out or even had a highway cut through, the Shandan Wall is still a fine example of rammed earth construction. Two walls, from two dynasties exist beside each other, at distances between 33-262ft (10-80m). They are both built from rammed earth at least 1,500 years apart.

The earliest, from the Han era, was built in 111 BC. Most of it has eroded or been looted, with only round mounds that were once watchtowers remaining. They are dotted alongside the sturdier and better-preserved Ming wall. A study of the two walls reveal the evolution of construction methods and the advancement of techniques and materials.

Being located on the edge of the Gobi Desert, both walls are at risk of ongoing damage or erosion, either from ongoing human interference or the harsh desert climate.



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Great Wall - Wuwei

In ancient times, Wuwei was an important town along the Hexi Corridor, a significant trading route that connected central China to the western regions. This 620mi (1000km) passage was linked by Wuwei, as its eastern terminus, to Yumen Pass, in the west. The Corridor, an arable plain, was long and narrow, sandwiched between the inhospitable plateaus of Mongolia to the north and Tibet to the south. It became a hub for the ancient silk road.

During the 2nd century BC, the Hexi region was reigned by the Xiongnu, a nomadic tribe, until a Han General, on the orders of his emperor, conquered the tribe and took over the corridor. As a result, Wuwei became a provincial capital of the Han Dynasty. Driving the Xiongnu out allowed the emperor to expand the corridor westward and protect the goods traded along the Silk Road.

In 1969, a group of farmers, digging air-raid shelters underground, unearthed a Han tomb belonging to an army general. Within, they discovered more than 200 relics consisting of wares made of precious metals, potteries, ceremonial figurines and a horse sculpture made of bronze known as the ‘Flying Horse of Gansu’.

The sculpture is an incredibly valuable piece, so much so that it is listed as one of 64 cultural relics prohibited from ever being exhibited outside of China. The horse is meant to depict the Ferghana breed (from modern-day Uzbekistan), that was highly prized by the Han emperor for its speed, hardiness and endurance. He went on to name the breed ‘heavenly horses’, after he was told that divine horses would appear from the northwest. The artwork itself is brilliant as the horse, in a galloping state, is balanced by one hoof resting without pressure on a flying swallow. The sculpture became a symbol of Wuwei City and it is used as a logo for China Tourism.



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Great Wall - Zhongwei

Zhongwei is a small city located on the northern bank of the Yellow River. North of the city and on the edge of Tengger Desert are remnants of the Great Wall. It was built during the Qin Dynasty (210 BC – 259 AD), when China was unified for the first time and served as a minor pass during the Ming era.

The walls were built out of earth and stone only, unlike the sections to the far east that were reinforced and covered in bricks. This led to extensive erosion of the Zhongwei Wall that was impacted further by the Tengger Desert’s ongoing expansion. The shifting sand has swallowed many towers as the desert continues to move south towards the city of Zhongwei. Some parts of the Wall have been erased completely with the growth of local industrialisation.

Just to the northwest of Zhongwei Airport’s runway is a very large, solid, mud-brick tower with a wall enclosure that was possibly either a fort or a fortified gate of the Wall’s pass. The line of the wall vanishes here to only appear sporadically for the next 150mi (240km).

The main landmark in the city is the maze-like structure of Gao Miao Temple, where China’s three main religions - Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism - are combined into one. The temple has a staggering number of pavilions, up to 260, that are connected with bridges, leading up and down between levels. It is beautifully decorated in bright colours with Chinese dragons on its rooftops, bells hanging off the eaves and more than hundred religious sculptures inside.

The quirky attraction at Gao Miao is actually the underground display of statues, suffering different forms of punishment and torture, meted out based on the crime committed. These strange and gruesome scenes are meant to depict life in hell based on ancient Chinese legends.

This may seem like a unique or unusual ‘attraction’ but it is not dissimilar to the ‘Ten Gates of Hell’ on display in Haw Par Villa, Singapore.

It is certainly not for the faint of heart or for the young.



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Great Wall - Yinchuan

Yinchuan was the capital of the 11th century Xixia state (modern-day Ningxia) and was occupied by the Western Xia Dynasty. The people of Western Xia were originally Tibetan and when the capital was established as part of the empire, the native Chinese were so dissatisfied that the entire population emigrated.

The city experienced a terrible blow when the Mongols, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, laid siege to it in 1227AD. Yinchuan was under siege for six months when Genghis suddenly died. To keep the campaign on track, his death was kept a secret. A month later, the emperor surrendered and was immediately executed. Genghis’ policy was always to conquer and eradicate those who resisted him. As such, the entire population of Yinchuan was slaughtered and the Western Xia Dynasty fell.

The few royal members that survived retreated either to Tibet or the far east. Very little is known about this dynasty, since the Mongols pillaged and plundered the capital, leaving very little evidence of its existence behind.

About 25mi (40km) west of Yinchuan are the Western Xia Imperial Tombs. Located at the foot of the Helan Mountains, the burial complex was only discovered in 1972. Special liquid was sprayed on the excavated relics to protect them from exposure. So far nine imperial mausoleums and 250 minor tombs have been discovered. They have a unique beehive shape and are often referred to as the Oriental Pyramids.

The largest and most complete tomb is said to belong to Jingzong, the first emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty. The large tomb is 75ft (23m) high and it is believed to have once been a 5-7 storied, eight-sided pagoda. Combining mausoleum and temple styles, it was built in accordance with Buddhist architecture.

Large amounts of inscribed stele fragments were found in the complex, giving scholars a rare opportunity to learn a little more about the vanished Xixia civilisation.



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Great Wall - Yulin

In ancient times, Yulin used to be the northernmost border of China. Various walls were built throughout the centuries with the earliest dating to the 5th century BC right up to the 15th century AD, covering the rule of several dynasties. Some preserved walls and forts can still be found in Yulin and nearby cities but the most significant is Zhenbeitai Tower, the largest watchtower on the Great Wall.

Located about 3mi (5km) north of Yulin, the tower is affectionately referred to as the heart of the dragon, with its head in Laolongtou (far east) and its tail in Jiayuguan (far west).

Built in 1607 during the Ming Dynasty, its purpose was to protect the markets where Mongolians and local people could trade in peace. It was an important marketplace because highly prized Mongolian horses were traded along with cloth, silk, tea and salt.

The watchtower is connected to the southwest corner of the wall. Tapering towards the top, the tower rises across four levels to a height of 98ft (30m) and average base width of 230ft (70m). Each level is narrower than the one below. The surrounding wall is around 550ft (167m) wide with the northwest corner linked to remnants of the Great Wall. Made of rammed earth, it is dressed in bricks and stone.

From the top floor to the north is the Yellow River, flowing through the large Hongshixia Reservoir, heading south for hundreds of miles.

Within the surrounding walls was Kuangong City, where officials used to entertain Mongolian messengers and discuss foreign affairs. During peacetime, Mongolians showered the emperors with gifts such as livestock and in return they would receive silk, cloth and medicine. It was a prosperous city in the past but very little is left today.



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Great Wall - Chinese Dragon

Remember Laolongtou, Old Dragon Head, at the beginning of this journey? He was drinking from the sea whilst the rest of his serpentine body, aka the Great Wall, contoured over the lofty mountain peaks and across valleys in a constant up and down motion. I am still searching for the tail.

The Chinese dragon is a legendary creature that is often associated with wealth, power and leadership. They are seen as noble and wise, exuding a good dose of luck and are often depicted breathing clouds instead of fire. It has control over watery phenomenon and is usually pictured floating in the sky, chasing flaming pearls, a treasured possession, that are said to multiply or enlarge anything that they come into contact with.

For a time during ancient China, only emperors were permitted to have items with dragon images on them. The dragon robe was an everyday garment used by royalty since the 7th century. It was a circular-collared robe embellished with dragons to symbolize imperial power. Over time, the cuts of the robes were modified to suit the ruling dynasty but the embroidered dragons were ever-present.

Chinese dragons are usually illustrated as having long, snake-like bodies and sharp, hawk-like claws. However, they can at times be rendered as other shapes such as dragon turtles. With the body of a turtle and the head of a dragon, the creature is typically associated with feng shui, symbolizing courage, longevity, success and more.

Dating back to 206BC, the Dragon Dance is the highlight of many festivities, especially Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival. The dragon, up to 230ft (70m) long, is made of bamboo hoops covered with fabric and held by dancers. The dragon is moved in all directions, dancing to the sound of pounding drums. They are wonderfully colourful spectacles.

The Dragon Boat Festival is another important event that has the status of being included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The event commemorates the ancient poet, Qu Yuan, who drowned himself as a “gesture of dying along with his motherland” when his home state was invaded. The boat is shaped in the form of a Chinese dragon and the team paddles harmoniously to the sound of beating drums. The winning team is said to have good luck and a happy life in the following year.

Chinese dragons permeate everywhere, from architecture to textiles, artwork to ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, festivals, astrology and idioms. China is home to the most places named after dragons in the world.



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Great Wall - Laoniu Bay

Laoniu Bay sits at the junction of Shanxi Province to the south and Inner Mongolia to the north. It is where the Great Wall meets the mighty Yellow River and then runs alongside it for the next 44mi (70km). A lone, ruined beacon tower stands at the end of the headland.

The Yellow River has an amazing journey across China. Its source is in the Bayan Har Mountains, Western China at an elevation of 15,700ft (4,800m) and it flows east until it empties in the Bohai Sea. It is the second longest river in China, after the Yanghtze, and the sixth longest in the world.

Heading east, the river runs through two large freshwater lakes, Gyaring and Ngoring. The water is crystal clear with a steady flow. It then makes two loops, first is northwest, followed by northeast, before it takes a sharp southern turn until it turns east again for its final flow into the sea.

The upper river travels through pastures, swamps, knolls and peat bog. The terrain along its banks changes from steep cliffs to deserts and grasslands. When it reaches the middle section, the river runs through the Loess Plateau, where large amounts of mud and sand end up in the river, giving it the muddy-yellow colour. Each year approximately 1.4 billion tonnes of silt are carried to the sea. In 1933, a record 3.9 billion tonnes of silt were discharged into the river from the plateau. The flow here is powerful, making it a great location for hydroelectric plants. When it reaches the lower section, the river slows down and sometimes it even dries up before reaching the sea.

The Yellow River has flooded many times, causing enormous losses of life and destruction. It has also been used as a military tactic by sabotaging canals and reservoirs or intentionally flooding warring states. Sometimes such plans backfire, as it did in 1642, when a Ming governor ordered the dikes to be broken in the hope that it would flood the rebels. Instead, it destroyed his city, causing famine and a plague that killed nearly 80% of its population.

Over the course of the last 2,500 years, it is estimated that the Yellow River has flooded nearly 1,600 times. It has also changed its course noticeably 26 times and severely at least 9 times. The most significant change was in the 12th century when instead of flowing into the Bohai Sea, as it usually does, it shifted so far south that it flowed into the Yellow Sea. It took 700 years for the Yellow River to return to its more northerly course.



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