Was breaching the Yellow River dykes Chiang Kai-Shek’s Mers-el-Kebir?

What happened to the Yellow River in China?

Before damming, it was extremely prone to flooding, and caused millions of deaths, including the deadliest disaster in human history. Between 608 BC and 1938 AD, the Yellow River changed course 26 times, and flooded over 1,500 times!

What caused the Yellow River to flood in ancient China?

The 1938 Yellow River flood (Chinese: 花園口決隄事件, literally “Huayuankou embankment breach incident”) was a flood created by the Nationalist Government in central China during the early stage of the Second Sino-Japanese War in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of Japanese forces.

What happened during the Yellow River Flood 1938?

It inundated eleven large towns and hundreds of villages. Nine hundred thousand people died, and two million were left homeless. The most bizarre flooding of the Yellow River occurred in June, 1938. The Japanese were invading China, and Chiang Kai-shek decided he might stop them by loosing a flood upon them.

What is the myth of the Yellow River?

According to legend, the history of China began with heavy flooding along the Yellow River. A man named Gun helped control the floods temporarily by building dikes, but it wasn’t until his son Yu took over the project and taught the locals to dredge the river and channel the water that the problem was finally fixed.

What was the breaching of the Yellow River Dyke?

The breach of the dyke was an attempt at strategic interdiction, to limit the mobility of the Japanese army and stop it moving further west. The waters of the River were to do what soldiers had not been able to do: to halt the Japanese advance. The breaching was a strategic move born of desperation.

What was the worst flood in China history?


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What happened to the Yellow River?

On 9 June 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Nationalist troops under Chiang Kai-shek broke the levees holding back the river near the village of Huayuankou in Henan, causing what has been called by Canadian historian, Diana Lary, a “war-induced natural disaster”.



Does the Yellow River still flood?

The river takes its name from the large amounts of fine yellow sediment (loess) colouring its water. The extensive silt deposition in the river’s lower reaches across the North China Plain and the expansive stretches of flat land surrounding it have always made the area extremely prone to flooding.

What are 3 problems with the Yellow River?

Soil loss, water shortage, flooding, sedimentation and water pollution are the major problems affecting the sustainable development of the Yellow River basin.

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