The Shocking Truth About the Yellow River's Yellow Water! | Song of the Yellow River

After the spring festival, it's time for fishermen in Shandong province to set sail. Meanwhile, in Henan province, it's time for farmers to get busy diverting water for irrigation. Over in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, hydrologists are about to conduct the year's first sampling. In Lanzhou, Gansu province, people take boats across the river in search of a brighter future. Up in Qinghai, the large lakes remain frozen, while herders drive yaks through the bitter cold. In fact, it's just an ordinary day in Northern China. Yet, despite living so far apart from each other and doing such different things, all these people have something in common. They are linked by the Yellow River. From its humble origins in the Yuegu Zonglie Basin in Qinghai, the Yellow River flows eastward from the Qinghai-Shizang Plateau, bending at Ruoergei, Sichuan province, then continuing to meander and gather strength. From Lanzhou in Gansu province, it flows northward through three major deserts, giving birth to oases in Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. Next, it swerves southward where Shanxi, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia meet, winding through the Loess Plateau, then full of sediment. Its mighty currents encounter the North China Plain via Mengjin in Henan province, before finally emerging into the Bohai Sea at Dongying, Shandong province. Altogether, the Yellow River, with its total length of 5,464 kilometers, flows through nine provinces and autonomous regions of China and spans three major geographical zones, with a total basin area of 795,000 square kilometers. From the glacial meltwater of the Qinghai-Shizang Plateau to the innumerable tributaries winding through the vast wilderness, the Yellow River flows gently at times and fiercely at others, nourishing all life and sustaining diverse ethnic groups along its banks. Moreover, with a power that transcends time and space, this is the river that powered the rise of Chinese civilization and is closest to the hearts of its people. The Yellow River is the root of the Chinese nation. Not only is it the root of the system, but it is also the root of culture. The basic values of the Chinese nation, traditional culture, are all born in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The basic core of Chinese civilization, the basic characteristics of Chinese people, are basically formed in the Yellow River. We have a history of more than 5,000 years of civilization. From prehistoric times to today's unified multi-ethnic nation, Chinese civilization stands as the world's only continuous civilization. More than half of that 5,000-year history was shaped by the Yellow River. Traversing time and space, we will witness how this great river with its mighty force has shaped Chinese civilization and the Chinese people. Even in summer, the region that is home to the source of the Yellow River experiences relentless snowfall. The Chou La family has long been accustomed to such sudden climate changes. Chou La's home lies beside one of the two lakes in the Yellow River source area, Gaiaring Lake. The family's water supply also comes from this vast lake. On the lake's surface, there's a milky yellow ribbon. The mainstream of the Yellow River. Over 10,000 years ago, as the Yellow River flowed through the region, it incorporated Gaiaring Lake and Goring Lake into the river system, helping shape the river's modern course. Before even reaching this place, the river had already flowed for millions of years. Approximately 2.6 million years ago, the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau rose by over 2,000 meters. The towering mountains block the warm, humid air currents from the Indian Ocean, leading to drought in the northwestern inland and the gradual formation of desert landscapes. The resulting powerful monsoon carries sand and dust southeastward every winter. Meanwhile, in northern China, a series of lake basins were gradually being connected thanks to water erosion. It was this process that gave birth to the Yellow River in all its glory. When the sand and dust arrived, it began to concentrate and settle, blocked by mountain ranges such as the Qinling, Taihang, and Liuliang. With the recurring monsoon, these sand particles accumulated. So it was that the Yellow River came to connect the western and eastern regions of China. The Yellow River meanders its way through the Loess Plateau. It took hundreds of millions of years for the natural forces of sand, wind, and water to shape the mountains. It was a combination of geological, climatic, and environmental conditions that brought the Yellow River and the Loess together. It was the sediment accumulated in the tributaries that gave the Great River its color and name. The Yellow River and the Loess coexist, nurturing civilization in the Yellow River Basin. The pit yard, a type of dwelling unique to the Loess Plateau region, consists of a six-meter-deep square pit with cave dwellings carved into the four walls. This ramp now serves as the passage between the courtyard and the ground. Zhu Xiuyun, now in her seventies, has spent most of her life in a pit yard. Petals and grass are placed between layers of cloth, then gently beat, allowing the water from the petals and grass to seep out. This process creates patterns of flowers and grass. Once the color is set, the patterns will not wither away. Zhu Xiuyun has been preserving this craft for several decades, long years that have left their mark on this courtyard. While the Loess' loose structure makes it easy to excavate, it also possesses a high degree of vertical stability. This is what makes these pit yards so solid and durable. Indeed, the unique characteristics of the Loess Plateau went beyond mere habitability. It's also provided the environmental foundation for one of the greatest changes in human history. In October, the Loess Plateau enters the harvest season. The crop being harvested was called Siu in ancient China. After threshing, it becomes the foxtail millet we know today. Another crop, slightly larger than millet grains, was commonly known as proso millet. Foxtail millet and proso millet were the first two grains domesticated by Chinese ancestors in the Yellow River Basin. Even today, people in northern China still use them as staple foods out of habit. On the Loess Plateau, an ordinary family is preparing dinner. While foxtail millet is cooked into congee, the glutinous proso millet is used to make fried cakes. These ancient crops not only have fed the people, but also brought warmth and joy to their everyday lives. The commonplace scene of a family sitting together at night is of deep significance when it comes to the origins of civilization. About two million years ago, across the vast land of China, the ancients thrived along the rivers, forever on the move gathering and hunting for food. But around 10,000 years ago, the ancients in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins began domesticating rice and millet, respectively, forging a lasting connection between people and land and marking the beginning of ancient Chinese civilization. People established stable settlements, embarking on the path of civilization that led from agricultural communities to city-states and eventually to the formation of nations. Only by understanding the significance of agriculture to civilization can we fully appreciate the unique advantages of the Yellow River Basin. Millet is a tolerant crop. It can grow in barren soils and survive drought conditions. As such, it has a long life expectancy. It can subsisted solely on rainfall without irrigation, something known as dryland agriculture. In prehistoric times, the Loess Plateau possessed multiple advantages for developing dryland agriculture. It was possible to develop dryland agriculture using simple and practical tools. For example, the Nilo River in the air. The Nilo River in the Aegean Sea can produce a lot of nutrients every year The soil is also constantly nourished by the nutrients in the soil. Sand grains containing various minerals are thoroughly stirred by the wind before settling. This repeated process results in an even distribution of fertility and natural growth. The soil layer of the Loess Plateau averages 69 meters in thickness, covering a total area of approximately 635,000 square kilometers. Moreover, the expansive Yellow River system provides a vital water source for human survival. Countless rivers meander through the Loess Plateau. Nearly all of which ultimately flow into the Yellow River. Unlike the other three major ancient civilizations, where agriculture developed along the main streams of major rivers and was vulnerable to flooding, agricultural settlements in the Yellow River basin are predominantly located along tributaries. From small, gentle tributaries to first and second order tributaries, and finally to the main stream, the ancients in the Loess Plateau region continuously explored, accumulated knowledge, and expanded, laying a solid foundation for the birth of civilization. Meanwhile, a farming area facing the ocean was formed in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. At 10 a.m., as the tide recedes, people come to the tidal flats to gather their catch. The tidal flats are home to various organisms, with mud snails being the easiest to collect as they live on the surface. Although the locals depend on the sea for sustenance, they owe these abundant catches to the Yellow River. The Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau, carrying vast amounts of sediment, the deposition of which at the estuary formed China's newest terra firma. The freshwater and mineral-rich sediment brought by the Yellow River provide a living environment for organisms and leave behind fertile soil. As the river with the highest sediment content and the greatest land-forming capacity in the world, the Yellow River has shaped far more land than just this. After the Yellow River flows out of its final gorge, it carries sediment into the North China Plain. Historically, apart from the hills around Mount Tai, the Yellow River swept across nearly the entire alluvial fan. Wherever its channel shifted, it left behind fertile soil. The entire North China Plain is essentially one vast Yellow River alluvial fan. Today, the North China Plain is home to major cotton, grain, and oil production centers, as well as economically developed megalopolises, all thanks to the Yellow River. Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Jinan, and even Tianjin and Huai'an are just some of the places the Yellow River once flowed through. From shaping the Loess Plateau to depositing sediments on the North China Plain, the Yellow River did much for the sake of future generations. So, thanks to nature's favor, the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River became a cradle of civilization. In May, while the lower reaches of the Yellow River are bathed in golden hues, the wheat ears in the upper river valleys remain green. By October, the millet on the Loess Plateau bows its head, and the sunflowers in the Hertao Plain are ripe. Today, China feeds 22% of the world's population with just 7% of the global arable land, producing over one-third of its grain in the Hertao Plain, Fenwei Plain, and North China Plain, through which the Yellow River flows. This fertile land is imbued with the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, viewing agriculture as the foundation, valuing harmony and order. Respecting heaven and following the examples of ancestors. The Yellow River connects today's Chinese people with their ancestors. Following its flowing waters, we will see the splendid culture their ancestors developed over time against the elements. Zhang Xianwei lives in the eastern Loess Plateau. The pottery clay he uses is sourced from local Loess. Pottery is the art and craft of making ceramics, the very first artificial material. Its various forms reflect the environmental, aesthetic, and cultural differences of different regions. Pottery with painted surfaces is known as painted pottery. The fine texture of Loess provides a pure base color. The painted pottery Zhang Xianwei creates using ancient techniques reflects one of the most distinctive features of prehistoric culture. For over 2,000 years, starting around 7,000 years ago, tributaries of the Yellow River were dotted with thousands of agricultural settlements on the Loess Plateau. Each settlement housed several hundred people, bound by kinship. Thanks to this stable lifestyle, primitive aesthetics and beliefs began to take shape and were expressed through pottery. This culture, characterized by its painted pottery, was named the Yangshuo culture as it was first discovered in Yangshuo village, Sanmengxia. During the early Yangshuo period, painted pottery patterns from different regions displayed distinct styles, including geometric designs, crescent moon motifs, and human face designs. Additionally, some patterns were inspired by creatures such as fish and birds. Of these, the human face fish pattern was particularly common in the Guanzhong region, the central part of today's Shanxi province. This painted pottery basin was once placed upside down over a pottery urn, inside which lay the body of a child. Perhaps the parents channeled their profound sorrow into these patterns, hoping they would accompany their departed child. The simple, primitive art illuminated the dark prehistoric forest like a faint beam of light. Jinan is located on the lower reaches of the Yellow River. To the south of the city, the stretching branch of Mount Tai is clearly visible. Centered around the foothills of the Shandong region lies another significant prehistoric culture, the Dawenku culture. Compared to the Yangshuo culture, the Dawenku culture displays many differences in terms of the characteristics of the artifacts it has left behind. Pottery of the Yangshuo culture is mostly decorated and flat-bottomed, whereas pottery of the Dawenku culture is mostly plain and three-legged. These two distinct cultures, one in the middle reaches and the other in the lower reaches, continuously interacted and integrated, all thanks to the Yellow River. The vast farming area and the interactions between the two groups became key driving forces behind the evolution of civilization in the Yellow River basin. If a large group of people were to think about agriculture, they would think about agriculture and its rapid development. It is not the accumulation of knowledge passed on from generation to generation by the father, mother, son, and great-grandson. It is an accumulation of knowledge in parallel. It is the same with the complexity of society. The ancestors of the two cultures along the Yellow River constantly interacted and merged. And the cultures they created would ultimately blend into the great Chinese civilization. When the Yellow River gets past Tongguan, it finds its way barred by the Qinling Mountains. Bending eastward, it converges with its largest tributary, the Weihe River. The triangular area formed by the confluence of these two major rivers is renowned for the excellence of its water and soil resources. The Yellow River and the Weihe River carry vast amounts of sediment. Deposits are abundant, and the water is abundant. The water is abundant, and the soil is fertile. Therefore, the Yellow River is a powerful area in the development of ancient civilization. The Yellow River and the Weihe River carry vast amounts of sediment, depositing fertile land at their confluence. Henan, Shaanxi, and Shaanxi provinces converge here. This region was once the core of the Yangshao culture. Approximately 6,000 years ago, the Yangshao culture entered its middle period. In the area around the junction of Shaanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces encircled by the Yellow River, several large central settlements emerged, covering areas of hundreds of thousands and even up to a million square meters. Compared to the earlier period, the more advanced productivity and social organization led archaeologists today to specifically designate it as the Miaodigu type of Yangshao culture. Around 5,500 years ago, this culture, born in the bend of the Yellow River, exerted a powerful influence over the land of China. Zhang Runrun is restoring one of the most classic patterns of Miaodigu painted pottery. Classic patterns of Miaodigu painted pottery feature three specific elements, hooked leaves, curved triangles, and dots. When the black paint fades into the background, a flower blooms in the blank space of the composition. This pattern has thus come to be conventionally known as the petal pattern. Although there are various interpretations of the patterns, it is certain that compared to the diversity of earlier designs, the painted pottery from Miaodigu exhibits a strong uniformity. Even more astonishing is that the distribution of the petal pattern painted pottery extends far beyond the middle reaches of the Yellow River. So, how did the petal pattern become so popular across the country? During the Miaodigu period, northern and southern China developed diverse cultures based respectively on rice cultivation and dryland agriculture, and cultural exchanges between regions increasingly deepened. In ancient Chinese, Hua, the character for China, means flower. Hua first appeared in the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty, its form resembling a flower with a stem. Thus, archaeologists poetically speculate that the petal pattern on Miaodigu painted pottery may be the origin of Hua. In other words, it was the petal pattern that set people thinking about what it meant to belong, what it meant to be Chinese. With the rise of painted pottery art, cultural interaction and integration spread across the land. Amidst the vast mountains and seas, diverse ethnic groups were connected and united by the culture that was nurtured by the Yellow River, laying a broad foundation for what later became a unified Chinese civilization. With the widespread dissemination of painted pottery, regional cultures became increasingly integrated and gradually evolved into civilizations. Beginning around 5,300 years ago, several large central settlements such as Shuanghuai Shu, Nanzuo and Jiaojia emerged successively in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Meanwhile, in the upper reaches, the Majiayao culture elevated painted pottery to its pinnacle, and the regional civilizations of the Yangtze River and West Liaohe River basins also blossomed with dazzling brilliance. Across the land, several urban settlements and numerous surrounding communities of various levels formed distinct ancient states. In that glorious era, it was the Yellow River basin, leveraging its unique advantages that propelled Chinese civilization from diversity toward integration. The pottery clay that Wang Xianli is processing originates from the fine mud eroded and deposited by the Yellow River in its lower reaches. After repeated sifting, it is nearly free of impurities and possesses a strong viscosity. It will be used to restore a very special piece of pottery. While a piece of pottery typically measures about one centimeter in thickness, Wang Xianli is aiming for a thickness of less than one millimeter. As the body gradually thins, even the slightest carelessness can undo all previous painstaking efforts. It is astonishing that long before the invention of the potter's wheel, ancient artisans had already mastered the exquisite technique of crafting pottery less than one millimeter thick. The rim of this pottery cup is as thin as 0.2 millimeters at its narrowest point. This type of black pottery is vividly referred to as eggshell black pottery, and the era during which it was produced is known as the Longshan Culture Period. The Longshan Culture Period began approximately 4,500 years ago. During this era, pottery from various regional cultures was predominantly black and gray, exhibiting both commonalities and unique features. Furthermore, embryonic towns and cities were gradually emerging, numbering in the thousands and spreading throughout various regions. Exchanges, conflicts, and competition among these regions subsequently intensified. During the dynamic Longshan Culture Period, the advantages of the Yellow River Basin became evident once again. At 7 a.m., archaeologists at the Shimao Ruins head for the excavation site. They are passing through the core section of the site, the Imperial City Platform. Surrounding the Imperial City Platform are stepped revetments constructed from stone blocks. The top is flat and expansive, featuring the remains of several palace buildings. The Shimao City site covers more than 4 million square meters, making it the largest Longshan site discovered to date. However, the Shimao Ruins is situated in the northern Loess Plateau, characterized by crisscrossing ravines and a thin soil layer overlaying extensive bedrock. But in an environment in which arable land was limited, what sustained the large-scale Shimao City? One key factor was the Yellow River. Taken together, the Qinghai-Shizhong Plateau in the southwest, the Gobi Desert in the northwest, and the ocean in the southeast created a relatively enclosed space, allowing for the independent development of Chinese civilization. However, the Yellow River winds through several twists and turns before flowing northward, creating a magnificent U-shaped bend. To the north of the bend lies the vast Eurasian Steppe, while to the northwest is a crucial corridor for prehistoric exchanges between China and other cultures across the Eurasian continent. Shimao, situated to the north of the bend, owed its early embrace of the outside world to its strategic position at the forefront of cultural exchange. The animal bones being cleaned are evidence of China's interactions with the outside world in prehistoric times. At the Shimao Ruins, countless fragmented bones like this were unearthed. Testing revealed that a large portion of these bones came from just two animals, oxen and sheep. Oxen and sheep are familiar domesticated animals in today's China, but they are not actually native to the country. They were first domesticated in West Asia and introduced to China during the Longshan culture period. Relying on these introduced species, the ancestors of Shimao developed a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral mode of production, while simultaneously creating a distinctive culture. Ever since the Longshan culture period, the number of settlements to the north of the Yellow River's bend had been rapidly increasing. At the same time, a farming pastoral way of life was gradually emerging across the land. For that reason, the river increasingly became an important geographical and cultural link. People always think of the Yellow River as a boundary, but that's not the case. Because of its existence, it maintains the connection between the grasslands, the semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral Yellow River Basin, and the entire agricultural region of the Central Plains. As a result, in Shimao, we found that some of these artifacts are images of grassland nations, even those in West Asia and Central Asia. This is the connection between the Yellow River and the North and South. China's terrain is high in the west and low in the east, so most of its rivers flow from west to east. The Yellow River, however, with its countless meanders, traces a magnificent path in the north-south direction, miraculously shaping the vast landscape of prehistoric China. The essential openness and inclusivity of Chinese civilization have also endured from ancient times into the present day. Taosa Village is situated on the south bank of the Fenhe River, the Yellow River's second-largest tributary. A thrilling performance is about to begin here. Twenty-five benches are stacked to form a nine-meter-high tower. Within seconds, the lead dancer climbs to the top. Two groups gradually ascend, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, their movements guided by the rhythm of the drumbeats. The drum originated in ancient times and was used in significant events, such as warfare and rituals. About 4,300 years ago, on the lowest table land south of Taosa Village, a prosperous city once echoed to the sound of drum music. Gao Jiangtao, the leader of the archaeological team, is presiding over the excavation of the Taosa site, a large Longshan culture period city covering approximately 2.8 million square meters, where numerous ritual musical instruments have been discovered. Three types of musical instruments, pottery drums, stone chimes, and crocodile skin tuo drums appear in fixed quantities and combinations at identical locations within six large tombs. Furthermore, the Taosa site unearthed the earliest bronze copper bell discovered in China to date. These early forms of ritual and musical culture continued through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, highlighting the continuity of Chinese civilization. This building, reconstructed on its original site, is one of the most astonishing discoveries at the Taosa site. The 13 rammed pillars, arranged in a fan shape, constitute the oldest observatory in the world. At 7 a.m., Gao Jiangtao and his team proceed to the observatory for observation and recording. The observatory was first discovered in 2003, and during the initial two years, continuous recording took place. Tower Mountain is located east of the Taosa observatory. The sun is about to rise over the summit. Sunlight passes through the gap between the pillars and illuminates the central observation point. After years of observation, it was discovered that when the sunlight crosses the ridgeline, passes through the gap between the pillars, and precisely shines on the central observation point, it coincides exactly with a solar term. This is clear evidence that the ancients had come to understand the sun's movement and phonology. Very early on, humans began to explore and explore. This exploration process is extremely long. Although it is long, these astronomical knowledge will be inherited, passed down from generation to generation, and even passed down across cultures. Scholars believe that this observatory embodies the agricultural knowledge and wisdom accumulated by ancestors from various regions of China over thousands of years. The absorption and integration of diverse cultures is a defining characteristic of Taosa culture. During the Longshan culture period, exchanges among regional cultures reached their peak. The inclusiveness of Taosa culture suggests that its birthplace, the middle reaches of the Yellow River, was becoming a melting pot of diverse cultures. Archaeologists classify prehistoric cultures into various regions based on their characteristics. Of these, the Central Plains region, where the Taosa site is located, spans the middle and parts of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. This region lies at the heart of diverse cultural exchanges. Thanks to its accessible location, the middle reaches of the Yellow River became a melting pot of diverse cultures during the late Longshan culture period. Around 4,300 years ago, when the ancestors of Taosa sounded their drums, they were marking the end of a long era and the dawn of a new one. As Chinese civilization progressed beyond the limitations of that glorious era of diverse cultures, in the heartland of the Central Plains, the Yellow River would witness its evolution from a diverse ancient civilization into a unified dynastic civilization. In the waves and currents of the Great River, a grand merging of cultural elements was about to take place, one destined to make history.