e river, flowing
through the centre of the country, after a course of 2900 m., empties
itself into the Yellow Sea in about 31 deg. N. Unlike the Yellow river,
the Yangtsze-kiang is dotted along its navigable portions with many
rich and populous cities, among which are Nanking, An-ch'ing
(Ngank'ing), Kiu-kiang, Hankow and I-ch'ang. From its mouth to
I-ch'ang, about 1000 m., the river is navigable by large steamers.
Above this last-named city the navigation becomes impossible for any
but light native craft or foreign vessels specially constructed for
the navigation, by reason of the rapids which occur at frequent
intervals in the deep mountain gorges through which the river runs
between Kwei-chow and I-ch'ang. Above Kwei-chow it receives from the
north many tributaries, notably the Min, which water the low
table-land of central Sze-ch'uen. The main river itself has in this
province a considerable navigable stretch, while below I-ch'ang it
receives the waters of numerous navigable affluents. The Yangtsze
system is thus all important in the economic and commercial
development of China.

Perhaps the most remarkable of the affluents of the Yangtsze is the
Han-kiang or Han river. It rises in the Po-meng mountains to the north
of the city of Ning-kiang Chow in Shen-si. Taking a generally easterly
course from its source as far as Fan-cheng, it from that point takes a
more southerly direction and empties itself into the Yangtsze-kiang at
Han-kow, "the mouth of the Han." Here it is only 200 ft. wide, while
higher up it widens to 2600 ft. It is navigable by steamers for 300 m.
The summer high-water line is for a great part of its course, from
I-ch'eng Hien to Han-kow, above the level of its banks. Near
Sien-t'ao-chen the elevation of the plain above low water is no more
than 1 ft., and in summer the river rises about 26 ft. above its
lowest level. To protect themselves against inundations the natives
have here, as elsewhere, thrown up high embankments on both sides of
the river, but at a distance from the natural banks of about 50 to 100
ft. This intervening space is flooded every year, and by the action of
the water new layers of sand and soil are deposited every summer, thus
strengthening the embankments from season to season.

The Hwai-ho is a large river of east central China flowing between the
Hwang-ho and the Yangtsze-kiang. The Hwai-ho and its numerous