White Jade River
Encyclopedia
The Yorungqash or White Jade River, also spelt Yorungkax ' onMouseout='HidePop("66772")' href="/topics/Pinyin">pinyin
: Báiyù Hé), is a river in the southern Xinjiang
region, People's Republic of China
.
The head waters of the river rise in the Kunlun Mountains
, in the Togatax area (35.6°N 81.4°E). The river flows east for some 200 km and then north for another 200 km before passing Khotan
(37.11°N 79.97°E). North of Khotan, it eventually dries up in the Taklamakan desert, its seasonal bed joined by that of the Karakash River
near Koxlax (some 200 km north of Khotan, 38.08°N 80.56°E), from where it continues north as the Khotan River
passing Piqanlik (40.05°N 80.89°E), and seasonally crossing the desert, joining the Tarim River
at 42°29′N 80°56′E. The river drains an area of 14575 square kilometre and has a discharge of 72.3 m3/s.
The river gets its name from the white jade
that is often found in its alluvial deposits.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Báiyù Hé), is a river in the southern Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
region, People's Republic of 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 head waters of the river rise in the Kunlun Mountains
Kunlun Mountains
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.The...
, in the Togatax area (35.6°N 81.4°E). The river flows east for some 200 km and then north for another 200 km before passing Khotan
Khotan
Hotan , or Hetian , also spelled Khotan, is the seat of the Hotan Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. It was previously known in Chinese as 于窴/於窴 and to 19th-century European explorers as Ilchi....
(37.11°N 79.97°E). North of Khotan, it eventually dries up in the Taklamakan desert, its seasonal bed joined by that of the Karakash River
Karakash River
The Karakash or Black Jade River, also spelled Karakax , is a river in the Xinjiang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, which lies partially in the disputed Aksai Chin region. The river originates near Sumde on the northern slopes of the Karakoram range in the Aksai Chin region of...
near Koxlax (some 200 km north of Khotan, 38.08°N 80.56°E), from where it continues north as the Khotan River
Khotan River
The Khotan River is formed by the union of the White Jade and Black Jade Rivers, which flow north from the Kunlun Mountains into the Taklamakan Desert in northern China. The two rivers unite towards the middle of the desert, some north of the town of Khotan...
passing Piqanlik (40.05°N 80.89°E), and seasonally crossing the desert, joining the Tarim River
Tarim River
The Tarim River is the principal river of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
at 42°29′N 80°56′E. The river drains an area of 14575 square kilometre and has a discharge of 72.3 m3/s.
The river gets its name from the white jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
that is often found in its alluvial deposits.