Yellow River Flood Control, 17th century

Yellow River Flood Control, 17th century

The Yellow River (or Huang He) is the second longest river in Asia after the Yangtze and the sixth longest in the world at the estimated length of 3,395 miles. The Yellow River is called "the cradle of Chinese civilization" and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. However, frequent devastating floods and course changes produced by the continual elevation of the river bed, sometimes above the level of its surrounding fields has also earned it the names "China's Sorrow" and "Scourge of the Sons of Han". Of the top ten recorded flood disasters of the 20th century six occurred in China. The three deadliest involved the Yellow River. The 1931 flood (Yellow, Yangtze and Huai Rivers) killed an estimated between 2,500,000 - 3,700,000 killed. Originally captioned: Wang Hui, 17th century.

Album / Science Source / New York Public Library

Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?

3343 x 4444 px | 42.5 MB

28.3 x 37.6 cm | 11.1 x 14.8 in (300 dpi)