Ejin River
Encyclopedia
The Ejin River also known as the Heihe River (黑河, lit. "black river"), is a major river system that originates on the northern Gansu
side of the Qilian Shan mountains. A total of 800 km long, the river has two major branches: the western branch flows from Zhangye
through Jiayuguan and Jiuquan
, while the eastern branch flows through Ganzhou
. The two branches merge near Gaotai and flow north into the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where the river terminates in the endorheic Ejin Basin in the Gobi Desert
.
The former Tangut city of Khara-Khoto
, now deserted, lies near the lower end of the river. According to legend, the city was abandoned after Ming
forces diverted the river away from the city in 1372.
European explorers to visit the area include Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1907–1909) and John DeFrancis
(1935).
The river area has been suffering from acute desertification
. Ground water levels have dropped by as much as 5 metres (16.4 ft) since the 1940s, while forest coverage near the river shrunk by 1924 km² (742.9 sq mi) between 1958 and 1994 and the Juyanhai Lake, once covering 1200 km² (463.3 sq mi), has dried up entirely.
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...
side of the Qilian Shan mountains. A total of 800 km long, the river has two major branches: the western branch flows from Zhangye
Zhangye
-Administration:Zhangye has 1 urban district, 4 counties, 1 autonomous county, 97 towns, and 977 villages.-Demographics:Zhangye has a total population of 1,260,000, only 260,000 being urban residents...
through Jiayuguan and Jiuquan
Jiuquan
- Suzhou town :The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou , which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had a population of 340,000 as of 2002....
, while the eastern branch flows through Ganzhou
Ganzhou
Ganzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong .-History:...
. The two branches merge near Gaotai and flow north into the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where the river terminates in the endorheic Ejin Basin in the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
.
The former Tangut city of Khara-Khoto
Khara-Khoto
Khara-Khoto was a Tangut city in the Ejin khoshuu of Alxa League, in western Inner Mongolia, near the former Gashun Lake. It has been identified as the city of Etzina, which appears in The Travels of Marco Polo.-History:...
, now deserted, lies near the lower end of the river. According to legend, the city was abandoned after Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
forces diverted the river away from the city in 1372.
European explorers to visit the area include Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1907–1909) and John DeFrancis
John DeFrancis
John DeFrancis was an American linguist, sinologist, author of Chinese language textbooks, lexicographer of Chinese dictionaries, and Professor Emeritus of Chinese Studies at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa....
(1935).
The river area has been suffering from acute 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:...
. Ground water levels have dropped by as much as 5 metres (16.4 ft) since the 1940s, while forest coverage near the river shrunk by 1924 km² (742.9 sq mi) between 1958 and 1994 and the Juyanhai Lake, once covering 1200 km² (463.3 sq mi), has dried up entirely.