List of longest rivers of China

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China has 228 rivers with drainage basins larger than 10,000 square kilometres, with a combined length of 132,500 kilometres. [1] Their annual runoff ranks 6th in the world. [2] Three of the world's ten longest rivers flow through China. [3]

Contents

Rivers in China can originate from three main regions: Southeast of Tibetan Plateau, where most longest rivers in China origined; the corridor between Da Hinggan Range, Hebei and Shanxi mountains, Western Henan mountains, and Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau - rivers here generally have relatively small discharges; and the corridor between Changbai Mountain, Shandong hills, and southeastern coastal ranges - rivers origins here are generally has shorter and smaller drainage basins than the former two, but carry abundant water.

Most rivers in China are exorheic, which flow into the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. They flow into the Pacific Ocean, which occupied 56.7% of the total land. [4] The area of Greater Khingan-Yin Mountains-Helan Mountains-Eastern Qilian Mountains-Bayan Har Mountains-Gangdise Shan divide China's endorheic and exorheic regions. Rivers west of the area are mostly endorheic: While the rivers cover one-third of the country's land area, they contain less than 5% of the total water. [5]

There are seven drainage systems in China. From north to south, they are: Songhua River, Liao River, Hai River, Yellow River, Huai River, Yangtze, and Pearl River. They occupy most rivers in China. [2] 。

This list includes rivers that flow through China with main stems at least 1,000 km long. Transboundary rivers whose length within China is shorter than 1,000 km are not included. [Note 1]

Rivers

The list number is based on the Encyclopedia of Rivers and Lakes in China  [ zh ]. Numbers vary between sources due to differences in the definition of a river's source or the methods used to measure its length. [11] The list will note figures from other sources if they differ by more than 10%.

In this list, only river length, drainage areas, and discharge within China are counted. The number of rivers outside China, i.e. transboundary rivers, is given in parentheses.

  indicated that parts of the river crossed Chinese boundaries (i.e. transboundary river).

#Name [Note 2] Length of main stem (km)Flowing area (km2)Flowing regions in China [Note 3] Annual flow rate (100 million m3)Flow intoCoordinate of its river mouth PictureCitations
1 Yangtze [Note 4] 6300+ [Note 5] 1800000 Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai 9150 East China Sea 31°30′N122°00′E / 31.5°N 122.0°E / 31.5; 122.0 (Yangtze) Cn1202-03.jpg [14] : 1 
2 Yellow River 5464813400 [Note 6] Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong 580 [Note 7] Bohai Sea 37°48′N119°12′E / 37.8°N 119.2°E / 37.8; 119.2 (黄河) Landzhou 07-2005.jpg [15] : 1－3 
3 Heilong River 3414
(4416) [Note 8] 		900000
（1840000）		(Russia, Mongolia,) Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang 2785
（3550）		 Strait of Tartary 52°54′N141°06′E / 52.9°N 141.1°E / 52.9; 141.1 (阿穆尔河（黑龙江）) Amur River.jpg [18] : 1－10 
4 Tarim River 2572 [Note 9] 236300
（258600） [Note 10] 		Xinjiang 49 [Note 11] Taitema Lake [22] 39°30′N88°18′E / 39.5°N 88.3°E / 39.5; 88.3 (塔里木河) Yarkand River in the Western Kunlun Shan, seen from the Tibet-Xinjiang highway.jpg [9] : 40  [23]
5 Songhua River 2309 [Note 12] 556800 Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin 783.97 Heilong River 47°42′N132°30′E / 47.7°N 132.5°E / 47.7; 132.5 (松花江) Songhua River.JPG [18] : 49 
6 Pearl River 2214442100
（453700）		 Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong [5] 3264 South China Sea 22°24′N113°42′E / 22.4°N 113.7°E / 22.4; 113.7 (珠江) Guangzhou Twin Towers.jpg [10] : 1 
7 Lancang River 2161
（4878）		164400
（814000）		 Tibet, Yunnan, (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam)743 [25]
（4481） [26] 		South China Sea 10°12′N106°48′E / 10.2°N 106.8°E / 10.2; 106.8 (湄公河（澜沧江）) Chamdo Mekong.png [7] : 1 
8 Yarlung Tsangpo 2057
（2840 [Note 13] ）		242000
（935000 [Note 14] ）		 Tibet, (India, Bangladesh)1649 [5] （6179） [27] Ganges 23°48′N89°48′E / 23.8°N 89.8°E / 23.8; 89.8 (贾木纳河（雅鲁藏布江）) Yarlung Tsangpo in Shigatse.jpg [7] : 93  [28]
9 Nu River 2013 [Note 15]
（3673）		136000
（325000 [Note 16] ）		 Tibet, Yunnan, (Myanmar, Thailand)703 [5]
（2100） [29] 		Andaman Sea 16°12′N97°36′E / 16.2°N 97.6°E / 16.2; 97.6 (萨尔温江（怒江）) 1.the first bend of Nu river.jpg [7] : 52 
10 Han River 1577159000 Shaanxi, Hubei 566 Yangtze 30°36′N114°18′E / 30.6°N 114.3°E / 30.6; 114.3 (汉水) Han River in Hanzhong.jpg [14] : 511 
11 Yalong River 1535128439 Qinghai, Sichuan 571 Yangtze（Jinsha River） 26°36′N101°48′E / 26.6°N 101.8°E / 26.6; 101.8 (雅砻江) Er Tan - panoramio.jpg [14] : 48 
12 Liao River 1345219600 Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning 137.2 Bohai Sea 40°54′N121°48′E / 40.9°N 121.8°E / 40.9; 121.8 (辽河) Fumin and Changqing Bridge.jpg [18] : 220 
13 Yu River 115778074（89677） Yunnan, Guangxi 476.7 [Note 17] Pearl River（Xun River） 23°24′N110°06′E / 23.4°N 110.1°E / 23.4; 110.1 (郁江) Bird's-eye view of Guiping.jpg [10] : 123－124 
14 Hotan River 113848870 [5] Xinjiang 10.28 [Note 18] Tarim River [Note 19] 40°30′N80°54′E / 40.5°N 80.9°E / 40.5; 80.9 (和田河) Collecting jade in the White Jade River near Khotan.jpg [9] : 86－87 
15 Hai River 1122 [Note 20] 234618 [Note 21] Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong 226 [5] Bohai Sea 39°00′N117°42′E / 39.0°N 117.7°E / 39.0; 117.7 (海河) Tian Jin Hai He Da Gu Qiao Ri Luo .jpg [30] : 1 
16 Jialing River 1120159800 Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing 659 Yangtze 29°36′N106°36′E / 29.6°N 106.6°E / 29.6; 106.6 (嘉陵江) Jialing River in Chongqing.jpg

[14] : 169 

17 Dadu River [Note 22] 106090700 [Note 23] Qinghai, Sichuan 495 Min River 29°32′N103°48′E / 29.54°N 103.8°E / 29.54; 103.8 (大渡河) Dadu River.jpg [14] : 114 
18 Wu River 103787920 Guizhou, Chongqing 509 Yangtze 29°42′N107°24′E / 29.7°N 107.4°E / 29.7; 107.4 (乌江) Wujiang changjiang converge.jpg [14] : 231 
19 Yuan River 103389647 Hunan, Guizhou 671 Dongting Lake 28°54′N112°12′E / 28.9°N 112.2°E / 28.9; 112.2 (沅江) Yuan River in Dongping Town of Anhua County, Hunan, China, Picture1.jpg [14] : 356 
20 Huai River 1000 [Note 24] 270000 Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu 595 Yangtze, etc [Note 25] 32°18′N119°42′E / 32.3°N 119.7°E / 32.3; 119.7 (淮河) 201806 Bengbu and Huai River.jpg [33] : 1, 279 

Canals

China is one of the oldest civilisations constructing canals, with the oldest canal of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The largest water transfer scheme in the world is the South–North Water Transfer Project in China. [34]

#NameLength of main canal (km)Cities flowing throughMain endpointPicture
1 Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal 1801 [5] Beijing、Tianjin、Hebei、Shandong、Jiangsu、Zhejiang [34] Yuanshui Island  [ zh ] [35] , Qiantang River [36] [Note 26] Jiangsu Zhenjiang Dantu - Dashancun - Jinghang Canal IMG 6719.jpg
2 South–North Water Transfer Project Central Route  [ zh ]1432 [37] Henan、Hebei、Tianjin、Beijing [38] Danjiangkou Reservoir (Origin), Tuancheng Lake, Outer Ring Canal of Tianjin [39] South-North Water Transfer Project Central route starting point taocha.jpg
3 South–North Water Transfer Project Eastern Route  [ zh ] [Note 27] 1156 [40] [Note 28] Jiangsu、Shandong、Hebei、Tianjin [41] Jiangdu Water Conservancy Project  [ zh ] (Origin) [41] , Tianjin Grand Canal, Yanhe, Baoying.jpg

Notes

  1. ↑ These include Irtysh (4248 km [6] ), Sengge Zangbo (2900 km [7] : 166 ), Ganges (2510 km [7] : 158 ，disputing), Irrawaddy River (2288 km [8] ), Ili River (1236 km [9] : 302 ), and Red River (1006 km [10] : 404 )
  2. ↑ Some transboundary rivers changed their names after crossing Chinese boundaries. This list retains their Chinese name while linking to their English entry.
  3. ↑ Grouped by Provinces of China. Countries through which the transboundary rivers flow are given in parentheses.
  4. ↑ Various sections of the Yangtze have local names, including Ulan Moron, Tongtian River, and Jinsha River. In some sense, the Yangtze started from the confluence of the Jinsha River and the Min River. [12] In this list, the Yangtze started from Yangtze River source  [ zh ] and ends in Yangtze Estuary  [ zh ]. See Yangtze#Etymology for details.
  5. ↑ No firm length for the Yangtze since its origin is in debate. [13] 。
  6. ↑ Including Ordos of 46500 km and Sazhubxi River  [ zh ] of 8300 km. [15] : 1 。
  7. ↑ This is the natural runoff. The measured flow rate decreased to 53.48 billion m³ between 1956 and 2000 with the development of modern society. [15] : 1 。
  8. ↑ There are two origins of the Amur. The number of 3414 is based on its southern origin, which started from the Hailar River (622km)-Argun River (898 km). The northern origin of the Onon and the Ingoda on the Yablonoi Mountains form the Shilka (560 km) after a flow about 500 km. [16] [17] The length of the Heilong River will be 4,344 km if the origin is based on the northern one. After the Shilka and the Erguna converge near Engh Had  [ zh ], the river is known as the “narrowly defined” main stem of the Heilong River. The middle reach within China (from Engh Had Village to the mouth of the Ussuri) is 1,894 km long. [18] : 1－10  Encyclopaedia Britannica defines the Heilong as 2824 km as "in narrow sense". [17] The length will be 3884 km based on the Encyclopaedia Britannica sense.
  9. ↑ Based on the origin of Yarkand River (1269 km). [9] : 43  The Yarkand, the Aksu, and the Hotan formed the Tarim at 肖夹克  [ zh ]. It is around 1303 km long. [9] : 40 。
  10. ↑ Based on "Four origins and one flow" (四源一幹). "Four origins" refers to the Yarkand, the Aksu, the Hotan, and the Kaidu River-Konqi River; while the "one flow" refers to the Tarim. [19] Historically, the Tarim encompassed all 144 rivers that flowed into Lop Nur. Most rivers originating from the southern Tian Shan and the Kunlun Mountains in southern Xinjiang belonged to the Tarim system. Some sources therefore described its drainage basin as 1,020,000 km2. [19] [20] In the 20th century, the lower reaches of the Tarim ran dry, and Lop Nur also completely dried up. [21]
  11. ↑ 此为塔里木河的三条天然源河进入塔里木河的年均水量。此外，孔雀河亦有通过人工修筑的库塔干渠东干渠向下游输水，年均输水量4.8亿立方米。20世纪80年代起，大西海子水库以下320千米长的河段一度断流 [9] : 40－42 。21世纪初，中国开展一系列治水措施，干涸的塔里木河下游河道重新来水 [20] 。
  12. ↑ The total length of the Nen River is 1370 km, while the Second Songhua River is 958 km. The main river of the Songhua formed when the Nen River and the Second Songhua met at 三岔河镇  [ zh ]. The main river's length is 939 km. This list defined the Nen River as the origin after considering river chiefs, watershed area, and runoff volume factors. [18] : 49 。然而，沿岸民间传统上习惯将第二松花江与松花江干流部分合称为松花江 [24] 。
  13. ↑ 3,848 km from some other sources [8] 。
  14. ↑ 712,035 km from some other sources [8] 。
  15. ↑ 1540 km from some other sources [5] 。
  16. ↑ 266,037 km2 from some other sources [8] 。
  17. ↑ 53.6 m³ from some other sources. [5] 。
  18. ↑ Based on the observation from 肖塔水文站. Two origins of the Hotan are the Karakash River and the White Jade River. It was only called the Hotan when the two rivers assembled. The average annual runoff at the confluence is 2.2 billion m2, but as the Hotan River crosses the desert, a large amount of water evaporates and seeps away, causing a sharp decrease in water volume. [9] : 86－87 。
  19. ↑ Most waters of the Tarim come from the Aksu, which occupies three-quarters of it. The water of the Hotan only enter the Tarim in flood season, while the Yarkand only enters during years of abundant water. [19] 。
  20. ↑ This list defined Zhang River as the origin of the Hai River. "Hai River" is an umberlla term of rivers of North China flowing to the Bohai Sea, including Ji Canal River, Chaobai River, Beiyunhe, and Yongding River in northern region; while there are Daqing He, Ziya River, Yongji Canal, and Rivers in the Heilonggang Yundong area in southern region. The main stream originates from the Sancha River Estuary (三岔河口) in the old city of Tianjin (天津老城厢), and flows to the Haihe River Flood Control Gate (海河防潮闸), with a length of 72 km. [30] : 5－9 。
  21. ↑ 318200 km² from some other sources [5] 。
  22. ↑ The Dadu River should actually be considered the origin of the Min River, given its length and water volume, which is 1203 km. Locals, however, consider the Dadu River the main river. Based on their definition, the length of the Min River is 711 km, while the section where the Min River meets the Dadu River and extends to the mouth of the Yangtze is 155 km. [14] : 97, 100, 113 . This list executes the Min River.
  23. ↑ 77700 km² from some other sources [5] 。
  24. ↑ 2012年，刘少创经过遥感测绘，认为淮河实际上发源自河南省嵩县 车村镇的溪流东沙沟，而非普遍认定的桐柏山太白顶，长度应为1252千米 [31] 。
  25. ↑ 淮河的幹流经入江水道汇入长江，此外还有入海水道, 苏北灌溉总渠, 分淮入沂水道和废黄河等下游水道，水道呈扇形羽状不对称分布 [32] 。
  26. ↑ There's no "origin" for Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal since its complex flow and directions. [34]
  27. ↑ The eastern route project involves adding water pumps to the existing Grand Canal and its parallel waterways and lakes to draw water from the Yangtze and transport it to the north. [40] 。
  28. ↑ It stretches 646 km south of the Yellow River, with a 17 km section crossing the river. At the Yellow River, it splits into northern and eastern routes. The northern route is a 493km long main canal flowing towards Tianjin; the eastern route is 701 km long and flows towards Shandong. [40] 。

See also

References

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  2. 1 2 满朝旭; 王化强 (8 July 2011). "人多水少，水资源难题如何破解？". 聚焦水利改革发展优秀新闻作品集. 中国水利水电出版社. p. 196. ISBN   9787517000525.
  3. ↑ Valera, Stephanie (26 August 2014). "World's 10 Longest Rivers". The Weather Channel . Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "中国的河流". 中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "河流和湖泊". 中华人民共和国年鉴. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Irtysh River". Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 中国河湖大典·西南诸河卷. 北京: 中国水利水电出版社. 2014. ISBN   978-7-5170-2699-0.
  8. 1 2 3 4 喻菲 (22 August 2011). "中国科学家确定雅鲁藏布江等四条国际河流源头". 科学网 . Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 中国河湖大典·西北诸河卷. 北京: 中国水利水电出版社. 2014. ISBN   978-7-5170-2566-5.
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  11. ↑ 喻菲 (23 December 2016). "我科学家理清世界名河长度"糊涂账"". 新华每日电讯. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "金沙江水能资源概况". 中国长江三峡集团有限公司. 30 December 2008. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  13. ↑ 朱建华; 陈松平 (21 July 2021). "长江长度需要一个"国家标准"". 长江日报. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
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  16. ↑ "Shilka River". Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  17. 1 2 Greer, Charles E. "Amur River". Britannica. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 中国河湖大典·黑龙江, 辽河卷. 北京: 中国水利水电出版社. 2014. ISBN   978-7-5170-1950-3.
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  21. ↑ 陈晨. "罗布泊干涸与塔河开发无必然联系". 科学时报. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021.
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  23. ↑ 张利会, ed. (15 August 2015). "西部江河的独特景观". 中国区域发展网. 国家发改委国土开发与地区经济研究所. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  24. ↑ "关于废止"第二松花江"名称恢复"松花江"名称的通知". 吉林省水利厅. 25 February 1988. Archived from the original (DOC) on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
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  26. ↑ Owen, Lewis. "Mekong River - Climate and hydrology". Britannica. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022. The mean annual flow of the river at Krâchéh in Cambodia is about 500,000 cubic feet (14,200 cubic metres) per second[.]
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  33. ↑ 中国河湖大典·淮河卷. 北京: 中国水利水电出版社. 2010. ISBN   978-7-5084-7953-8.
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  37. ↑ "一条渠的远方——平稳"送"水 运行六年即达效". 秦楚网. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
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  39. ↑ Gone (12 October 2020). "从下游断流到台特玛湖的复苏，科考队调研塔里木河流域管理局". 中国生物多样性保护与绿色发展基金会. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  40. 1 2 3 邱欣 (2016). 中国基础设施建设与发展实践. 辽宁教育出版社. p. 186. ISBN   9787554915318.
  41. 1 2 南水北调东线总公司; 魏晓雯 (11 June 2021). "南水北调知多少（东线工程篇）". 中国水利网. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
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