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Hebei has many rivers, 300 of which are longer than
10 km. The Haihe River
and the Luanhe River are the chief systems.
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Cormorant of the Baiyangdian
Lake |
The Haihe River system is the largest one
Hebei, with a total catchment-area of 124,600 sq. km, that is 66.3 percent of
Hebei's total area. It consists of 5 rivers (the North Canal, Yongdinghe,
Daqinghe, Ziyahe and South canal) and many tributaries. Like a giant fan, these
rivers and tributaries meet near Tainjin and flow eastward into the Bohai Sea.
The Haihe River system has a total length of 1,090 km. Originating in Fengning
County of Hebei, the Luanhe Rivet system consists of over 500 tributaries which
flow all the year round. Ten of them have a catchment-area of 1,000 sq. km.
each. The river system flow through the border between Changli County and
Laoting County and pours into the Bohai Sea, a journey of 877 km. In addition to
the catchment-area formed by two river systems, there are some interior
catchment-areas formed by small rivers and lakes. Most of the rivers in Hebei,
except the inland rivers, flow into the Bohai Sea. The Bohai Sea, an inland sea
of China, is enclosed
by the Shandong and Liaoning peninsulas like two giant
arms. Hebei's coastal line along the Bohai Sea extends 487 km. Qinhuangdao,
Tangshan and Cangzhou, three cities lying by the sea, are the maritime gateways
to Hebei. Approved by the State Council in March 1988, the
Qinhuangdao-Tangshan-Cangzhou Economic Development Zone was set up in the
region.
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Lotus growing in the Baiyangdian
Lake |
Hebei has numerous lakes but only
a few of them are large ones. Most of the lakes, nearly 100 or so, are scattered
in the Bashang Plateau. The larger ones among them are the Anguli, Huanggai,
Chahai and the Haiziwa Water Reservoir. The lakes of Baiyangdian and Hengshui
are the major ones in plain area.
As the most valuable lake in Hebei,
Baiyangdian has been developed for a long time. Located in the central part of
Hebei and the lower reaches of the 9 rivers of the Daqinghe River system, the
Baiyangdian Lake, with a total area of 366 sq. km, belongs separately to 5
counties around it. On the lake are 36 lake villages and 62 lakeside villages
with a population of 200,000 people. Being the largest fresh water lake and
wetland in north China, it plays an important role in balancing the ecosystem
there. Because of that, it is often referred to as “ Kidney of North China”.
Like a pearl shining on the North China Plain, Baiyangdian has been well known
for a long time both at home and abroad. It is rich in aquatic produce. There
are about 140,000 mu (9,333 hectares) of reed growing in the lake. The annual
output of reed mats is 7 million tons, making up 40 percent of the national
total. There are about 100,000 mu (6,666 hectares) of lotus and water chestnuts.
It is one of the ten largest fresh water fish bases in China. More than 50 kinds
of fishes grow in it. It is worth to mention that it was here that the Japanese
invaders were given a heavy blow by the famous
guerrilla force, the Yanlingdui, during the War of Resistance against
Japan.
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Sunset over the Hengshui
Lake |
Located in Hengshui City, the
Hengshui Lake, with a water area of 188 sq. km, is a natural reserve under state
protection. It is composed of marshland, grassy marshland, water area, beach
area and forests. As an inland wetland with fresh water, it is an ideal habitat
for rare birds living in the central and southern part of the North China Plain
and an important stop for many migratory birds as well. So far, there are 296
species of birds living in the reserve and 51 of them, for instance, the
red-crowned crane, white crane, white storks, bustard, golden vulture, and
white-shouldered vulture, are under the first or the second level of state
protection.
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