Shiyang River
Encyclopedia
The Shiyang River is a river in the eastern Hexi Corridor
in China
. The river's old name was Gu River (谷水).
The catchment area of the Shiyang River is about 41 600 km2, most of which is within today's Wuwei
prefecture-level city
of the Gansu
province. The river originates from the Qilian Mountains, and flows north-east, toward the Gobi desert. The Wuqiaoling Range (乌鞘岭), in Tenzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, forms the dividing ridge between the endorheic
Shiyang River catchment in the north and the exorheic Yellow River
catchment in the south.
In the Tang Dynasty
, the Baiting Lake (白亭海) was one of the terminal lakes of Shiyang River. However, the Baiting Lake has been dried up, and the modern terminal lake of Shiyang River is the Qingtu Lake (青土湖).
Agricultural oases are distributed in the Shiyang River catchment, with Wuwei being the main city of this region. Reservoirs have been constructed for the purposes of irrigation and flood prevention. There were 24 reservoirs in the Shiyang River Basin as of 2000. The population in the Shiyang River catchment was about 2 268 900 as of 2003. Currently people in this region are facing problems of overdevelopment and desertification
.
In the lower reaches of Shiyang River is the Minqin
Oasis, which is surrounded by the Tengger Desert
(腾格里沙漠) in the east and the Badain Jaran Desert
(巴丹吉林沙漠) in the west. Currently efforts are being made to prevent the desertification and disappearance of the Minqin Oasis.
Hexi Corridor
Hexi Corridor or Gansu Corridor refers to the historical route in Gansu province of China. As part of the Northern Silk Road running northwest from the bank of the Yellow River, it was the most important route from North China to the Tarim Basin and Central Asia for traders and the military. The...
in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The river's old name was Gu River (谷水).
The catchment area of the Shiyang River is about 41 600 km2, most of which is within today's Wuwei
Wuwei
Wuwei is located in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinchuan makes it an important business and transportation hub for the area...
prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of the Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
province. The river originates from the Qilian Mountains, and flows north-east, toward the Gobi desert. The Wuqiaoling Range (乌鞘岭), in Tenzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, forms the dividing ridge between the endorheic
Endorheic
An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans...
Shiyang River catchment in the north and the exorheic Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
catchment in the south.
In the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, the Baiting Lake (白亭海) was one of the terminal lakes of Shiyang River. However, the Baiting Lake has been dried up, and the modern terminal lake of Shiyang River is the Qingtu Lake (青土湖).
Agricultural oases are distributed in the Shiyang River catchment, with Wuwei being the main city of this region. Reservoirs have been constructed for the purposes of irrigation and flood prevention. There were 24 reservoirs in the Shiyang River Basin as of 2000. The population in the Shiyang River catchment was about 2 268 900 as of 2003. Currently people in this region are facing problems of overdevelopment and desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
.
In the lower reaches of Shiyang River is the Minqin
Minqin County
Minqin County is an administrative district in Gansu, the People's Republic of China. It is one of 58 counties of Gansu. It is part of the Wuwei prefecture, with the city of the same name being the prefecture seat. Its postal code is 733300, and its population in 1999 was 281,826 people.In older...
Oasis, which is surrounded by the Tengger Desert
Tengger Desert
The Tengger Desert covers about 36,700 km2 and is mostly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China.- External links :* *...
(腾格里沙漠) in the east and the Badain Jaran Desert
Badain Jaran Desert
The Badain Jaran Desert is a desert in China which spans the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. It covers an area of 49,000 sq. kilometers ....
(巴丹吉林沙漠) in the west. Currently efforts are being made to prevent the desertification and disappearance of the Minqin Oasis.