Which river is known as the Yellow River in China?

The river known as the Yellow River in China is the Huang He.

Its Chinese name, Huang He, literally means “Yellow River,” reflecting the river’s heavy load of yellow-brown sediment. Much of that sediment comes from the Loess Plateau, where wind-deposited soil is easily eroded and carried downstream.

The Huang He begins in the Bayan Har Mountains of Qinghai Province and runs for roughly 5,464 kilometres before reaching the Bohai Sea. It is China’s second-longest river, after the Yangtze, and its basin has played a central role in the development of Chinese civilization.

The river is both agriculturally valuable and historically dangerous. Sediment buildup raises the riverbed, while floods have repeatedly forced the river to change course. This is why it has been called both “China’s Pride” and “China’s Sorrow.” A common mix-up is confusing it with the Yangtze, which is longer and flows farther south.