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Hai River

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

The Hai River is a very important waterway in China. It is also known as the Peiho or the Hai Ho. Its name means "Sea River." This river flows into the Bohai Sea. Many different areas sit inside its drainage basin. This includes parts of Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin. It also touches Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong.

Tianjin Hai River 2
Tianjin Hai River 2

This river is actually made by five different watercourses joining together. These are the Ziya River, the Daqing River, and the Yongding River. Two canals also join them: the Northern Canal and the Southern Canal. The canals are part of the famous Grand Canal. The Northern Canal connects to the Chaobai River at Tongzhou. This river is the only way to reach the center of Beijing from the sea. The Grand Canal also links the Hai River to the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

History shows that the Grand Canal changed how these rivers work. Before the canal, the Wei, Ziya, Yongding, and Bai Rivers flowed on their own. The Grand Canal cut through them to fuse them into one outlet. The river has had many names over the years. During the Song dynasty, it was called the Jie River. In the Jin and Yuan dynasties, it was the Zhígū or Dàgū River. The name Hai River appeared near the end of the Ming dynasty.

The river has a very long history of conflict. In June 1840, the river was used for talks during the First Opium War. In 1858, Anglo-French forces invaded during the Second Opium War. During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Chinese forces used electric mines. They did this at the Baihe river to stop ships from attacking. In the 1860s, large ships could reach Tongzhou. However, the river was very crooked and hard for big vessels to use.

Tianjin Hai River 2
Tianjin Hai River 2

Visiting the river, you would see very muddy water. This happens because the river flows through powdery soil. This silt can cause big floods in the lower areas. Because Beijing and Tianjin are nearby, these floods can cause much loss. People have built reservoirs and new channels to help. For example, they diverted the Chaobai River to a new path. Today, the river has less water due to cities and factories. A project called the South-North Water Transfer Project may help soon.

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File:Tianjin Hai River 2.JPG
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