The Yellow River’s Role in China’s History中国历史上黄河的角色

Many of the world’s great civil-izations have grown up around mighty rivers—Egypt on the Nile， the Mound-builder1 civilization on the Mississippi， the Indus Valley Civilization on the Indus River. China has had the good fortune to have two great rivers： the Yangtze and the Yellow River （or Huang He）.

世界上伟大的文明多发源于大河流域。尼罗河孕育了埃及文明，密西西比河孕育了印第安文明，印度河孕育了印度河谷文明，而中国有幸拥有两条大河：长江与黄河。

About the Yellow River

黄河概况

The Yellow River is also known as the “cradle of Chinese civilization” or the “Mother River.” Over the centuries， the Chinese people have used it not only for agriculture but also as a transportation route and even as a weapon. Usually a source of rich fertile soil and irrigation water， the Yellow River has transformed itself more than 1，500 times in recorded history into a raging torrent2 that has swept away entire villages. As a result， the river has some less-positive nicknames as well， such as “China’s Sorrow” .

黄河又称“母亲河”，被誉为“中华文明的摇篮”。千百年来，中国人民得其灌溉、航运、作战之利。黄河带来了肥沃的土壤和充沛的灌溉水源，同时，黄河流域见于记载的决口泛滥就有1500余次，行经之处村落尽毁。这也让黄河背上了“中国忧患之河”等恶名。

The Yellow River springs up in the Bayan Har Mountain Range3 of west-central China’s Qinghai Province and makes its way through nine provinces before it pours its silt4 out into the Yellow Sea off the coast of Shandong Province. It is the world’s sixth-longest river， with a length of about 3，395 miles. The river runs across central China’s loess5 plains， picking up an immense load of silt， which colors the water and gives the river its name.

黄河发源于中国中西部青海省的巴颜喀拉山脉，流经9省，最终裹挟泥沙在山东省汇入黄海。黄河是世界第6大长河，全长约3395英里，流经中国中部黄土平原时有大量泥沙汇入，使河水呈黄色，因此得名。

The recorded history of Chinese civilization begins on the banks of the Yellow River. According to the “Classic of Rites” and Sima Qian’s “Records of the Grand Historian，” a number of different tribes originally united into the Xia Kingdom in order to combat devastating floods on the river. When a series of breakwaters6 failed to stop the flooding， the Xia instead dug a series of canals to channel excess water out into the countryside and then down to the sea.

中华文明有记载的历史起源于黄河沿岸。根据《礼记》和司马迁《史记》的记载，各部落最初为了共同抵御黄河洪灾结成联盟，后来形成了夏朝。当一道道防波堤抵御不住洪水，夏人便开沟挖渠，将泛滥的洪水引入乡村，继而注入大海。

Unified behind strong leaders and able to produce bountiful harvests since Yellow River floods no longer destroyed their crops so often， the Xia Kingdom ruled central China for several cent-uries. The Shang Dynasty succeeded the Xia around 1600 BCE and also centered itself on the Yellow River valley. Fed7 by the riches8 of the fertile river-bottom land， the Shang developed an elaborate culture featuring powerful emperors， divination using oracle bones9， and artwork including beautiful jade carvings.

夏朝之所以统治中国中原地区几百年，是因为君王强大、民众团结，再加上黄河水患对作物破坏减少带来粮食丰产。约公元前1600年，商取代夏，同样以黄河流域为中心发展。黄河冲积平原土地肥沃，物产丰富，受此滋养，商朝发展出了繁荣的文化，代表有强权的帝王和甲骨占卜，还有精美玉雕等艺术品。

During China’s Spring and Autumn Period （771 to 478 BCE）， the great philosopher Confucius was born in the village of Tsou on the Yellow River in Shandong. He was almost as powerful an influence on Chinese culture as the river itself.

中国春秋时期（公元前771年至公元前478年），伟大哲学家孔子出生于黄河沿岸的山东陬邑。孔子对中国文化影响之深远，堪比黄河本身。

In 221 BCE， Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi conquered the other warring states and established the unified Qin Dynasty. The Qin kings relied on the Cheng-Kuo Canal， first constructed in 246 BCE， to provide irrigation water and increased crop yields， leading to a growing population and the manpower to defeat rival kingdoms.

公元前221年，秦始皇剪灭其他诸侯国，建立了统一的秦王朝。始建于公元前246年的郑国渠为秦国提供灌溉水源，带来粮食增产，秦国人口从而不断增长，有足够兵力击败敌国。

The Yellow River in ancient and medi- eval times

中国中古时期的黄河

In 923 CE， China was embroiled in the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Among those kingdoms were the Later Liang and the Later Tang dynasties. As Tang armies approached the Liang capital， a general named Tuan Ning decided to breach the Yellow River dikes and flood 1，000 square miles of the Liang Kingdom in a desperate effort to stave off10 the Tang. Tuan’s gambit11 did not succeed; despite the raging floodwaters， the Tang conquered the Liang.

公元923年，中国进入混乱的五代十国历史时期，其中就有后梁和后唐。眼看唐军逼近梁都，一位名叫段凝的将军为击退唐军决定孤注一掷，决堤黄河，水淹梁国1000平方英里。但段凝的策略并未成功，尽管洪水汹涌，唐军仍击溃了梁军。

Over the following centuries， the Yellow River silted up and changed its course several times， breaking its banks and drowning surrounding farms and villages. Major re-routings took place in 1034 when the river split into three parts. The river jumped south again in 1344 during the waning days of the Yuan Dynasty.

随后数百年里，黄河数次淤塞、几经改道，河流决堤淹没了周边的农田和村庄。1034年，黄河大改道，分为三支。1344年，正值元朝衰落时期，黄河再度决堤南奔。

In 1642， another attempt to use the river against an enemy backfired12 badly. Kaifeng city had been under siege13 by Li Zicheng’s peasant rebel army for six months. The city’s governor decided to break the dikes in hopes of washing away the besieging14 army. Instead， the river engulfed15 the city， killing almost 300，000 of Kaifeng’s 378，000 citizens and leaving the survivors vulnerable to famine and disease. The city was abandoned for years following this devastating mistake. The Ming Dynasty fell to Manchu invaders， who founded the Qing Dynasty just two years later.