China is a vast country, comparable in size to Europe. Two-thirds of its total area is mountainous, with a topography that is high in the west and low in the east. The western part of China consists of numerous mountain ranges, many with altitudes exceeding 5,000 meters. Among them, the highest Himalayas reaches 8,848 meters above sea level. The eastern region gradually transitions into a plain descending to below 50 meters above sea level.
The Yellow River originates from the Bayan Har Mountains, located in Qinghai Province and have an altitude of 5,369 meters. As the second longest river in China, it flows from west to east, crossing the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Loess Plateau, the Inner Mongolia Plateau, and the North China Plain before finally emptying into the Bohai Sea. Its drainage basin spans 795,000 square kilometers and encompasses nine provinces: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong.
Millions of years ago, the area east of the Taihang Mountains in central North China (shown in the box on the map below) was part of the ocean. The North China Plain (the upper two-thirds of the green area on the map) was formed through the accumulation of sediment from the Yellow River over millions of years. The middle section of the Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau, carrying a large amount of sediment. It transports 1.6 billion tons of sediment downstream every year, about a quarter of which remains on land, and the rest washes into the Bohai Sea. The silt deposited in the lower reaches of the Yellow River gradually raises the riverbed. Every once in a while, the Yellow River changes its course due to the blockage of large amounts of sediment. Wherever the terrain is low, that's where the diverted river will flow, bringing sediment with it. For millions of years, sediment from the Yellow River has filled the low areas back and forth, created the vast North China Plain, which is larger than Britain. Today, the Yellow River is still reclaiming land from the sea and steadily pushing the coastline eastward. Scientists estimated that the Bohai Sea will be filled in within a few hundred years, further expanding the North China Plain.
Archaeology has revealed that eight thousand years ago people were already living on this land created by the Yellow River. The North China Plain, the cradle of Chinese civilization, has long been the most densely populated, economically vibrant, and culturally prosperous region in China, thanks to its fertile soil, temperate climate, and abundant rainfall brought by the Pacific monsoon, making this region ideal for agriculture. While the Yellow River nourishes the people living on this land, it also brings them disasters. As the riverbed rises, people must continually reinforce the embankments to protect farmland and settlements on both sides. Over time, the riverbed gradually rose above the surrounding ground; in some areas, it now stands 5–10 meters above the terrain, turning the river into a "hanging river." Once an embankment breaks, it unleashes catastrophic flooding, sweeping away everything in its path. Historical records show that, in the past 2,500 years, the Yellow River has burst its banks 1,593 times and changed its course significantly 26 times. Each time the river floods, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people are killed or displaced. The Yellow River flood of 1897, related to domestic unrest and poor maintenance, claimed the lives of two million (some say seven million) people. Efforts to manage the river have never stopped since ancient times. Perhaps no other people in the world have such a deeply intertwined and paradoxical relationship with their mother river as the Chinese. They are grateful for the nourishment she provides, yet they harbor resentment for her harshness. But it is precisely with her rugged character that the Yellow River has cultivated the perseverance, tenacity, hard work, and resilience of the Chinese people.
Chinese parents tend to use strict discipline to train their children, preparing them to face the severe challenges of life. This is not unrelated to the fact that they themselves grew up under the temper of the Yellow River. Westerners who embrace individualism emphasize protecting children's independence and individuality. Chinese parents focus on fostering perseverance, endurance, and team spirit in their children. This approach to education is deeply connected to their harsh living environment. In front of the Yellow River, individuals are insignificant. Controlling the Yellow River relies on collective strength. Therefore, Chinese philosophy places great emphasis on collectivism and teamwork. Western philosophy conceptualizes individuals as independent actors, prioritizing personal interests over collective concerns. In contrast, Chinese philosophy perceives individuals as interconnected and interdependent members of society with a common destiny and shared interests and responsibilities. This prioritization of collective concerns over individual interests is heavily influenced by their shared burden imposed by the Yellow River.
The fertile, rich, yet troubled land of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River allows the people living there to not only enjoy the blessings of the river but also face the challenges it brings. This paradox has nurtured the dialectical thinking of the Chinese people. Unlike Westerners who often perceive things in stark black-and-white terms, the Chinese recognize the juxtaposition of opposing qualities in all things, much like the dual natures of the Yellow River. They understand that good fortune and misfortune are interdependent. This awareness enables them to navigate life's complexities with composure, remain vigilant during peaceful times, and identify opportunities within challenges. Chinese philosophy opposes simplistic and extreme ideologies, such as individualism, feminism, Darwinism, unipolarism, hegemonism, and zero-sum games. It embraces the idea that diverse elements complement and coexist peacefully, akin to the two sexes, believing that harmony, balance, and mutual benefit are the fundamental laws of nature. The Chinese adhere to the doctrine of the mean, striving for balance amidst oppositions and harmony in differences. This seemingly modest approach allows them to coexist harmoniously within an environment that is both contradictory and integrated. The Confucian opposition to forming factions and taking sides, as well as the Chinese people's rejection of Western-style partisan politics, reflects the wisdom imparted to them by the Yellow River. (See Philosophies that Separate Two Worlds.)
Managing China's huge population and coordinating their efforts to undertake large projects like regulating the Yellow River, which involves vast areas of land, huge amounts of manpower, enormous resources, comprehensive planning, and the joint efforts of the whole country, require a unified, centralized government with strong planning and organizational capabilities. The emphasis that Chinese people place on political stability is also connected to the management of the Yellow River, which demands a stable and efficient government. In fact, China's state power originated from the need to control the Yellow River. Dayu, the founder of the Xia Dynasty (circa 2070 BC–1600 BC), the first dynasty recorded in Chinese history, was the leader who organized the people to regulate the Yellow River. With thousands of years of experience, the Chinese have become adept at mobilizing and organizing the masses, honing themselves into the most organized, disciplined, and well-managed people. This has made the nation extraordinarily resilient and capable of facing its most severe challenges. The Western political model, based on individualism and partisanship, wherein different interest groups compete and alternate in power, may serve special interests but does not align with China’s realities.
In summary, the character, philosophy, culture, and political framework of the Chinese nation are deeply intertwined with the Yellow River. This influential river nurtures the people to embody qualities such as magnanimity, generosity, kindness, solidarity, resilience, and sophistication—reflecting the attributes of their mother river. A nation that has endured and overcome such severe challenges for millennia is invincible and should never be underestimated. (See Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and the Chinese-Style Modernization.)
