Yellow River

The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in Earth at the estimated length of . Originating at an elevation above 15,000 feet (4,600 metres) in the Bayan Har Mountains, it empties into the Bohai Sea. The Yellow River's basin was the birthplace of several ancient civilizations. The yellow sediments were carried downstream from the Loess Plateau. There are frequent devastating floods and course changes produced by the continual elevation of the river bed, sometimes above the level of its surrounding farm fields. The Yellow River (黃河, Huáng Hé, Beijing Mandarin: xwaŋ xɤ) was not always yellow. When the river was still clear, it was simply referred to as "the River" (河, Old Chinese: *gwâŋ). Observations made at Yumenkou indicated the river changed from clear to muddy sometime between 367 BC and AD 165, according to chronicles’ records. Alternative names "Murky River" (濁河, Old Chinese: *drôk-gâi) and "Yellow River" (黃河, Old Chinese: *gwâŋ-gâi) were attested in 145 BC and AD 82 respectively. The name Yellow River edges out Murky River partially because yellow also implies large, as 黃 ("yellow") cognates with 廣 ("wide"), 橫 ("broad"), 鐄 ("large bell") and 潢 ("large cistern"). In the Shaanxi loess plateau, it is referred to as "River, my lord/master" in Jin Chinese (老爺河, lo i xɤu). In Mongolian, it is called Šar Mörön (, "Yellow River") or Khatan Gol (, "Queen River")." The river is mentioned in the Kul Tigin stele as the "Green River" (Old Turkic : yašïl ügüz, 𐰖𐱁𐰞𐰽𐰺𐰍). The Tibetan name is "River of the Peacock" (; ). Yellow River civilization The Yellow River first formed between 56 million and 34 million years ago during the Eocene epoch, while the familiar shape appeared around 7 thousand years ago. The river has long been critical to the development of northern China, and is regarded by scholars as one cradle of civilization. Flooding of the river has also caused much destruction, including multiple floods that have resulted in the deaths of over one million people.