Country China | ||
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Huang Shui (Chinese: 湟水; pinyin: huángshuǐ; literally: "Huang Water") is a river in Qinghai and Gansu, China. The river is a left tributary of the Yellow River, also known as the Huang He. Huang Shui has a total length of 374 kilometres (232 mi) and a basin area of 3,200 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi).
Contents
Map of Huangshui River, China
History
The Huang Shui valley has long been important as a route between Chinese and Tibetan cultures. As one of the few fertile valleys on the northeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the river's basin has supported agriculture for various Neolithic and Bronze Age civilizations including the Majiayao culture, Qijia culture, Xindian culture, and Kayue culture. Huang Shui's valley was also one of the routes utilized by travelers on the Northern Silk Road. The city of Xining formed on the Huang Shui due to its strategic importance.
Geography
The Huang Shui, in name, is a short river that rises in Qinghai's Daban Mountains in Haiyan County, Haibei. The river flows east through Xining and Haidong before joining with the Yellow River just upstream from Lanzhou. The Huang Shui's primary tributary, the Datong River, is actually longer in length than the Huang Shui and thus forms the main stem. The Datong and Huang Shui meet on the Qinghai-Gansu border between Minhe and Honggu.