Hook sinking | "the water of the Yellow River comes from heaven"? The Qing government twice explored the source of the Yellow River

The Yellow River is China's mother river and the main artery of China's transportation. When the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, it faced an important change in production and lifestyle, and grain production and water transportation increasingly became a necessity for the Qing government. To this end, the Early Qing Government conducted two important surveys of the source of the Yellow River and left important records.

Kangxi explored the source of the Yellow River in early 43 years

The qing government first sent ministers to Qinghai to investigate the source of the Yellow River in the forty-third year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1704). According to the Records of the Qing Dynasty, on April 3, 1943, the Qing government decided to send the bodyguards LaXi and Shulan to Qinghai to explore the source of the Yellow River. Kangxi said in his edict: "Although the source of the Yellow River is called 'Gurban Solomo', in fact, the place of origin has never been visited. It is imperative to look straight to its source and to see where its rivers flow into the snow-capped mountains. Wherever there is a passage, etc., it is advisable to read it carefully. ”

From Beijing to Qinghai, the road is long. Qinghai belongs to a high-altitude area with a cold climate and changeable weather. In the case of inconvenient transportation in ancient times, field trips were not easy.

Later, Lasi returned to the capital to report that they had set off from Beijing on the fourth day of the first month of April, and after more than a month of travel, they arrived in Qinghai on May 13, and on the fourteenth day they arrived in Hubulak. Here, they meet with Belsebtenzar and march together. On the seventh day of June, it reached the area east of the Xingsu Sea in Qinghai. They found that there are two large lakes in the area, namely "Eling" and "Zhaling". Both lakes are large, surrounded by about three hundred miles. The two lakes are separated by thirty miles. On the ninth day of June, they reached the Sea of Stars. The Mongolian name "Oduntara". They ascended the high mountains around the Hoshi-sukai and saw "The Source of the Hoshi-sukai: Koizumi Trillions countless." To the south of the Sea of Stars there are mountains, called "Gurban Turha"; in the southwest, there are mountains, called "Buhujurhei"; in the west, there are mountains, called "Balbuha"; in the north, there are mountains, called "Aktain Qi"; and in the northeast, there are mountains, called "Urandushi". Three of the mountains have many springs under them. Namely: "Gurban Turha" in the south, "Balbukha" in the west and "Aktain Qiqi" in the north. The spring of the three mountains flows out of the three branches of the river, and the three rivers flow east into Zalingze. From the Zalingze, it flows into the Elingze. Flowing from the Eling, it is also the Yellow River. In addition, the spring water on other mountains around the "Sea of Stars" and the spring water on the flat ground also converge into small rivers, and the number is innumerable, and they are also classified into the east of the Yellow River. It should be said that by this time, they had basically completed the task assigned by Kangxi to survey the source of the Yellow River.

Lassi also reported that they had returned from the Starry Sea on June 11. Head southeast for two days, Den Hargi Mountain. See the Yellow River flowing east to the Hu toro Sea Mountain, south around the Sariq Mountains, and north to the south of the Bartoro Sea Mountains. The next day, to the west of the iceberg. Its mountains are the highest, and the clouds cover them. Mongolian: This mountain is more than 300 miles long, there are nine peaks, since ancient times, there has been no ice dissipation, clouds and fog all day long, often rain and snow, three or four days in mid-January. Go back from here. On the sixteenth, to the land of Syracut. Head south again, past the Monk Kuri Ridge. Travel more than 100 miles to the bank of the Yellow River. See the Yellow River flowing northeast from the Bartoro Seamount. North of Guideburg and south of dakazan, it flows into Lanzhou from the two mountain gorges.

After completing the task with the help of the Mongols, Laxi and others reported to Kangxi that there were roads and time nodes of the survey, and there was a general situation seen at that time. At the same time, according to Kangxi's instructions, they also used a compass to correct the direction and drew an image of the source of the Yellow River. They distinguished and clarified various rumors and accounts since ancient times, and determined that the three rivers west of Zhaling Lake were the source of the river. According to this, the "Star River Source Map", the middle river is the longest, tending to be the source of the Yellow River. The Qing government confirmed their report. It should be said that the Qing government largely completed the first field visit.

In the fifty-sixth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1717), the Qing government also sent lamas Chu'er Qinzangbu, Lanmu Champa and Shengzhu, the chief of the Li Fan Yuan, to be ordered to survey the source of the Yellow River again and survey them on the ground. The following year, when the Qing government organized the compilation and drawing of the "Imperial Public Opinion Overview Map", it absorbed their surveying and mapping results, leaving a more credible basis for future generations to investigate.

Qianlong explored the source of the Yellow River in the second year of the 47th year

The Qing government organized the exploration of the source of the Yellow River for the second time, in the forty-seventh year of Qianlong (1782). Earlier, the Yellow River flooded again, and in the area of Qinglonggang in Henan, "Mankou and Longwei", the university scholar Ah Gui was ordered to go to the governance. The affairs of the Yellow River once again attracted the attention of the qing government at the top level. Qianlong accepted Zhangjia Hutuktu's suggestion and specially sent Amida, the son of the university scholar Ah Gui and the qianqing gate bodyguard, to Qinghai to pay homage to the river god and further investigate the source of the river. In July, Amida returned to life.

The biggest gain of this survey by Amida and others was to promote their understanding of the source of the Yellow River. They found that the true source of the Yellow River was not the "Sea of Stars", but should continue to the southwest, up to the place where there was yellow water.

Amida said: "There is a river southwest of the Sea of Stars, called 'Altan Gol'. The Mongolian word 'Altan', i.e. 'gold'; 'Gol', i.e. 'river', also. This river is actually the upper source of the Yellow River. Its aqua is yellow. It swirled around for more than three hundred miles and penetrated into the Sea of Stars. Since then, it has converged to 'Fort Guide'. The water color is all yellow, and it was originally called 'Yellow River'. And to the west of Altan gol, there are boulders several feet high. Name 'Altangada Suzi Old'. Mongolian 'Kadasu', 'Polaris' also. 'Qi Lao', 'Stone' also. Its cliff walls are yellow and red, and the walls are tianchi. The fountain in the pool is hundreds of pounds, all of which are golden. Into 'Altan Gol', then the source of the Yellow River is also true. ”

The results of This survey of the source of the Yellow River by Amida and others paid special attention to the yellow color of the Yellow River. It should be said that the Qing government's sacrifice to the river god and the re-investigation of the source of the Yellow River in order to solve the disaster of the Yellow River have seized the characteristics, further enhanced people's understanding of the Yellow River, and its conclusions are more convincing to people.

In the face of the progress made in surveying the source of the Yellow River, Qianlong was very happy. To this end, he made a series of moves: first, he specially wrote the "Imperial Heyuan Poem", second, he personally wrote the "Imperial Heyuan Dialect", third, he personally wrote the "Imperial River Source Concise Language", and fourth, he ordered the compilation of the "Heyuan Chronicle" and included it in the "Four Libraries Complete Book" that was about to be completed to record his merits. The "Synopsis" in the "Four Libraries quanshu heyuan jiluo" records: "More than three hundred miles southwest of the Xingsu Sea, there is Aletangol water color, and in the west there is AltanGarda Suqi Lao, flowing through a hundred springs, into Altangol, is the true source of the Yellow River." Untouched by ancient exploration. From this, it can be seen that Qianlong affirmed the results of Amida and others' investigation of the source of the Yellow River.

It should be pointed out that the Qing government twice organized the investigation of the source of the Yellow River, and the results laid a solid foundation for the understanding of the source of the Yellow River in later generations. The reason why the Qing government was able to carry out such a survey during the Kangqian period was inseparable from the political environment in which it actually controlled the western regions, Qinghai, and other places at that time. From the northwest to the southwest, the conditions for the integration of various ethnic groups in the frontier have initially taken shape. In particular, the communication and communication barriers between manchu, Han, Mongolian and other ethnic languages and scripts have been initially eliminated. This undoubtedly provides rare conditions for the actual investigation of the source of the Yellow River.

Of course, the achievements of the warriors who personally arrived at the source of the Yellow River to investigate- Laxi, Shulan, Sebtenzar, Amida and others are worth commemorating forever. Works such as the "Chronicle of the Source of the River" compiled on the basis of their survey results and the "Outline of Waterways" written by Qi Zhaonan also provide rare materials for further exploration of the truth of the Yellow River, which is worth studying and reference.

(The author is a professor at Chinese Min University)