Yellow River

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China. It runs 5464 kilometers (3395 miles) and is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization.
Below is a picture of the high plateau in Qinghai province where the Yellow River starts.

Would such terrain be suitable for farming?

Qinghai plateau

SOURCE: China Pictorial, ed., Across China (Beijing: China Pictorial Publishing Company, 1985), p. 11.

Much of the lower reaches of the Yellow River are not navigable, but raftmen, like the man to the left, have found ways to get goods across the river.

Raftman on the Yellow River

SOURCE: Zhongguo shaoshu minzu diqu huaji congkan zongbianji weiyuanhui, ed., Zhongguo shaoshu minzu diqu huaji congkan, qinghai (Beijing: Minzu chubanshe, 1986), no page number available.

Below are two pictures showing the Yellow River in its middle reaches running through the Loess Plateau and in its lower reaches running through Shandong province. The huge amount of silt the river carries is deposited in these lower regions, raising its bed above ground level in the flat North China plain.

Why do you think flooding has been a frequent problem for people living near the Yellow River?

Hukou waterfalls on Yellow River in Shaanxi province

SOURCE: China Pictorial, ed., Across China (Beijing: China Pictorial Publishing Company, 1985), p. 24.

Yellow River in Shandong province

SOURCE: Shuilibu huanghe shuili weiyuanhui, ed., Huanghe gengguang (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe, 1982), no page number available.

The Yellow River has changed its courses several times over the centuries, causing great hazards. The picture below shows the river right before it flows into the sea.

Yellow River Plain in Shandong province

SOURCE: Shuilibu huanghe shuili weiyuanhui, ed., Huanghe gengguang (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe, 1982), no page number available.