Editing Geography of China (section)

=== Rivers  ===
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{{See also|List of rivers of China}}
[[File:China rivers.svg|thumb|left|Main rivers of China]]
China originally had an estimated number of 50,000 rivers. However, due to statistical discrepancies, water and soil loss, and climate change, there are currently only an estimated 22,000 rivers remaining.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/28-000-rivers-disappeared-in-china-what-happened/275365/|title=28,000 Rivers Disappeared in China: What Happened? |first1=Angel |last1=Hsu |author-link1=Angel Hsu |first2=William  |last2=Miao |date=2013-04-29|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref> The rivers in China have a total length of 420,000 kilometers. 1,500 have a catchment area exceeding 1,000 square kilometers. The majority of rivers flow west to east into the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The [[Yangtze]] (Chang Jiang) rises in [[Tibet]], flows through [[Central China]] and enters the [[East China Sea]] near [[Shanghai]]. The Yangtze is 6,300 kilometers long and has a catchment area of 1.8 million square kilometers. It is the third longest river in the world, after the [[Amazon River|Amazon]] and the [[Nile]]. The second longest river in China is the Huang He ([[Yellow River]]). It rises in Tibet and travels circuitously for 5,464 kilometers through [[North China]], it empties into the [[Bo Hai Gulf]] on the north coast of the [[Shandong]] Province. It has a catchment area of 752,000 square kilometers. The [[Heilongjiang]] (Heilong or [[Black Dragon River]]) flows for 3,101 kilometers in [[Northeast China]] and an additional 1,249 kilometers in [[Russia]], where it is known as the [[Amur River|Amur]]. The longest river in [[Northern and southern China|South China]] is the Zhujiang ([[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]]), which is 2,214 kilometers long. Along with its three [[tributaries]], the Xi (West), Dong (East), and Bei (North) rivers, it forms the [[Pearl River Delta]] near [[Guangzhou]], [[Zhuhai]], [[Macau]], and [[Hong Kong]]. Other major rivers are the [[Liaohe]] in the northeast, [[Haihe]] in the north, [[Qiantang River|Qiantang]] in the east, and [[Lancang River|Lancang]] in the southwest.

[[File:West Lake at night in Hangzhou.jpg|thumb|250px|[[West Lake]] in [[Hangzhou]], at night]]
Inland drainage involving upland basins in the north and northeast accounts for 40 percent of the country's total drainage area. Many rivers and streams flow into lakes or diminish in the [[desert]]. Some are used for [[irrigation]].

China's territorial waters are principally marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean. These waters lie on the indented [[coastline]] of the mainland and approximately 5,000 [[island]]s. The [[Yellow Sea]], [[East China Sea]], and [[South China Sea]] are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean. More than half the coastline, predominantly in the south, is rocky; most of the remainder is sandy. The [[Bay of Hangzhou]] roughly divides the two kinds of [[shoreline]].

; Northern plain
There is a steep drop in the river level in the [[North China Plain]], where the river continues across the delta, it transports a heavy load of sand and mud which is deposited on the flat plain. The flow is aided by manmade [[Levee|embankments]]. As a result, the river flows on a raised ridge fifty meters above the plain. Waterlogging, floods, and course changes have recurred over the centuries. Traditionally, rulers were judged by their concern for or indifference to preservation of the embankments.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} In the modern era, China has undertaken extensive flood control and conservation measures.

Flowing from its source in the Qingzang highlands, the Yellow River courses toward the sea through the North China Plain, the historic center of Chinese expansion and influence. [[Han Chinese]] people have farmed the rich alluvial soils since ancient times, constructing the [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]] for north–south transport during the [[History of China|Imperial Era]]. The plain is a continuation of the [[Dongbei]] (Manchurian) Plain to the northeast but is separated from it by the [[Bohai Gulf]], an extension of the Yellow Sea.

Like other densely populated areas of China, the plain is subject to floods and earthquakes. The mining and industrial center of [[Tangshan]], {{convert|165|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Beijing, was leveled by an earthquake in July 1976, it was believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll.

The [[Hai River]], like the [[Yangtze River (China)|Yangtze River]], flows from west to east. Its upper course consists of five rivers that converge near [[Tianjin]], then flow seventy kilometers before emptying into the [[Bohai Gulf]]. The [[Huai River]], rises in [[Henan]] Province and flows through several lakes before joining the Yangtze River near [[Yangzhou]].

; East and Yangtze
The [[Qin Mountains]], a continuation of the [[Kunlun Mountains]], divides the North China Plain from the [[Yangtze River Delta]] and is the major physiographic boundary between the two great parts of [[China Proper]]. It is a cultural boundary as it influences the distribution of customs and language. South of the Qinling mountain range divide are the densely populated and highly developed areas of the lower and middle plains of the [[Yangtze River]] and, on its upper reaches, the [[Sichuan Basin]], an area encircled by a high barrier of mountain ranges.

The country's longest and most important waterway, the Yangtze River, is navigable for the majority of its length and has a vast [[hydroelectric]] potential. Rising on the Qingzang Plateau, the Yangtze River traverses {{convert|6300|km|mi|abbr=on}} through the heart of the country, draining an area of {{convert|1800000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} before emptying into the East China Sea. Roughly 300 million people live along its middle and lower reaches. The area is a large producer of rice and wheat. The Sichuan Basin, due to its mild, humid climate and long growing season, produces a variety of crops. It is a leading [[silk]]-producing area and an important industrial region with substantial [[mineral resources]].

The [[Nanling Mountains]], the southernmost of the east–west mountain ranges, overlook areas in China with a [[tropical climate]]. The climate allows two crops of rice to be grown per year. Southeast of the mountains lies a coastal, hilly region of small deltas and narrow valley plains. The drainage area of the Pearl River and its associated network of rivers occupies much of the region to the south. West of the Nanling, the [[Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau]] rises in two steps, averaging 1,200 and 1,800 m in elevation, respectively, toward the precipitous mountain regions of the eastern Qingzang Plateau.