How Vital is the Wei River to Northwest China?
▲ The distinct contrast between the two rivers—can you guess which one is the Wei River? Photo by Zhang Yongfeng
The highest praise for a river is to call it "mother."
People in every region have their own "mother river" in their hearts. Referring to the Yellow River as the mother undoubtedly receives the broadest recognition in China. However, for the ancient Chinese ancestors, the Yellow River was too fierce and vast to approach, while its numerous tributaries were the first eyes to witness the birth of civilization.
▲ The meandering Wei River flows into the Yellow River at Tongguan. Photo by Zhang Yongfeng
The river most closely and profoundly connected to the origins of Chinese civilization is the Qin-Long "mother river," the largest tributary of the Yellow River:
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Please turn your screen horizontally for the best view. Map by Monk
With its back against the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains and facing the Loess Plateau, the Wei River lies at the southern end of the Yellow River Basin like a foundation. Originating from central Gansu, it flows eastward, carrying the largest population in Gansu along with its tributaries. Beyond Gansu, the Wei River Basin extends to southern Ningxia, radiating across northern Shaanxi and the Guanzhong Plain. Over 65% of Shaanxi's population and GDP, as well as more than 14 million acres of fertile farmland, benefit from the Wei River.
Many cities along the Wei River are named after it, from Weiyuan and Tongwei County at its source to Tianshui's Wei'nan Town, and further into Shaanxi, where Weibin District and Weinan City are located.
Traveling from west to east along the Wei River, every inch of land beneath your feet holds a story etched into the genetic code of life.
The Wei River meanders out of the Niaoshu Mountain in central Gansu, where legends say Yu the Great "tamed the floods and guided the Wei." It cuts deeply through the mountains of eastern Gansu, passing through Tianshui, where Fuxi and Nüwa are said to have thrived. The Dadiwan site, dating back 8,000 years, contains the oldest traces of farming in China.
▲ The Wei River lies at the heart of the Yellow River Basin and is the "heartland" of Chinese civilization. Map by Monk
Leaving Gansu, the Wei River bursts through mountain gorges, its sediment forming the fertile Guanzhong Plain. Baoji, the hometown of Emperor Yan and a center of bronze culture, is now an industrial hub. Yangling, once the cradle of farming civilization, is today a city of agricultural science. The Wei River flows gently through Xianyang and Xi'an, the ancient capital of 13 dynasties, having witnessed millennia of prosperity. It runs alongside the Qinling Mountains, gathering the waters from 72 northern valleys, before finally meeting the Yellow River at Tongguan.
▲ Water flowing ruggedly along the Qinling Mountains. Photo by Jingju Jieduan Xiao DF, via Tuchong Creative
This is the 818-kilometer-long Wei River, where deities and ancestors left their footprints, where ancient myths overlap with archaeological facts, and where millennia of glory and decline have been witnessed. The Wei River is a river of life, civilization, abundance, and ecology. No one understands ancient China better than it, and no one knows today's Qin-Long region more deeply.
Flowing eastward, nurturing civilization
Mr. Qian Mu once said, "The emergence of Chinese culture, to be precise, did not rely solely on the Yellow River itself but on its various tributaries. Every corner of each tributary was a cradle of ancient Chinese culture." The Wei River is precisely such a river.
▲ Traveling east along the Wei River, ancient legends and scientific archaeology together trace the origins of Chinese civilization. Map by Monk
"Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "Book of Documents" were written with ink dipped in river water, narrating the earliest simple lives. Pottery and wheat fields were农耕的图腾 buried in the fertile soil along the banks. The Yan and Huang tribes, along with the Zhou and Qin ancestors, moved east along the river, establishing glorious nations. As history unfolded, the earliest memories of Chinese civilization were strung together by the same river. Whether through myths or archaeological discoveries, later generations looked to the same place and found their answers along the Wei River.
Ancient Legends | Kuafu, Fuxi, Yu the Great
In the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," the Wei River and the Yellow River are referred to as He and Wei. Kuafu, chasing the sun, drank dry the waters of both rivers. The book also records that the source of the Wei River is the "Bird and Rat Shared Burrow Mountain," known today as Niaoshu Mountain in Weiyuan County, Dingxi. The "Book of Documents · Tribute of Yu" documents the legend of Yu the Great cutting through mountains to guide the Wei River. Yu carved through the mountains to allow the Wei waters to flow east, benefiting both banks. To this day, from its source to its lower reaches, the Wei River is affectionately known by another name: Yu River.
▲ After converging with the Jing River, the Wei River flows eastward, nourishing vast wetlands. Photo by Zhang Yongfeng
As the Wei River reached the area of present-day Tianshui, Gansu, it gave rise to the brilliant Fuxi culture. Fuxi, one of the "Three Sovereigns" of ancient times, led his people here to create the Eight Trigrams, weave nets, establish marriage customs, and invent writing… Gua Tai Mountain on the banks of the Wei River is where Fuxi attained enlightenment. Another legendary ancestor of humanity, Nüwa, was born beside the Huliu River, a tributary of the Wei. Legend says that when Nüwa created humans, the water she used to mix with clay likely came from the Wei River.
▲ Gua Tai Mountain, located at the northwestern end of Sanyangchuan in Tianshui City, is the original site of the Fuxi Temple. Photo by Zhang Tao
Further east, as the Wei River widens, history moves closer to modern times. The *Guoyu·Jinyu* records: "The Yellow Emperor grew by the Ji River, and the Yan Emperor grew by the Jiang River." The Jiang River, known today as the Qingjiang River, is a tributary of the Wei River in Baoji. Thus, Baoji is widely regarded as the hometown of the Yan Emperor, a primordial ancestor of Chinese civilization. Further east, Houji, ancestor of the Zhou people, taught early inhabitants farming and grain cultivation on the fields along the Wei River. In Wugong County, the Teaching Farming Platform remains today, hailed as China's first agricultural research institute.
▲ Wetlands along the Wei River: even the northwest boasts Jiangnan-like scenery. Photo by Zhang Yongfeng
In Xianyang and Xi'an, ancient myths and legends fade into the background, and the murmuring flow of the Wei River is sung of in the *Book of Songs*. "The Jing muddies the Wei, yet its islets run clear" (*Book of Songs·Bei Feng·Gu Feng*)—this is the earliest record of the phrase "as different as the Jing and Wei." "I escort my uncle, as far as the north of the Wei"—as early as the Zhou Dynasty, the custom of parting by the bridge, which became popular in the Sui and Tang dynasties, emerged along the Wei River.
Scientific Archaeology | Lantian, Dadiwan, Banpo
The Wei River Basin, located in central China, straddles east and west as well as north and south. Tens of thousands of years ago, the climate here was humid with distinct seasons. The fertile soil of the Loess Plateau, combined with abundant river water, provided unparalleled advantages for survival and farming. Modern archaeological excavations corroborate how the Wei River nurtured early inhabitants.
▲ Standing alone by the Wei River in Tongguan County, Weinan City is the Yuedu Pavilion. Photo by Li Ping'an
Approximately 700,000 to 1.15 million years ago, Lantian Man lived near the Ba River, a tributary of the Wei River—they were the earliest residents of Xi'an. 200,000 years ago, Dali Man thrived in the eastern part of the Wei River's northern plains. Around 8,000 years ago, along the Qingshui River, a secondary tributary of the Wei River in Qin'an, Gansu, the Dadiwan people began cultivating millet as a staple food, initiating a settled agricultural life by the river.
▲ Pottery housed in the Xi'an Banpo Museum depicts the ancient perceptions of the world held by early inhabitants. Photo by carl_hui, from Huitu.com
By 6,000 years ago, the Chanba Delta on the southern bank of the Wei River welcomed another wave of residents—the Banpo people. They had formed matrilineal clans and could build villages, with more advanced agriculture, fishing, and hunting. They cultivated the earliest millet and rapeseed. The 22 symbols discovered on Banpo pottery are likely the precursors to primitive writing.
▲ "A Gaze from Five Millennia Ago": a human-shaped painted pottery vase with double loops, unearthed at the Dadiwan site. Photo by Weihe Old Fisherman, from Huitu.com
From a broader perspective, from Dadiwan to Banpo, Yangshao culture settlements clustered along the Wei River like stars. Thousands of sites indicate that early inhabitants, relying on intensive farming, experienced explosive population growth. They lived by the river, cultivated fields, raised chickens and pigs, and engaged in pottery and textile production—scenes not unfamiliar to modern people. Nurtured by the Wei River, Chinese civilization was on the verge of emergence.
Flowing Eastward, Laying the Foundation for a Golden Age
The Zhou people originated in the Pingliang and Qingyang areas of eastern Gansu. To evade invasions by the Rong and Di tribes, they migrated along the Jing River to the Zhou Plain (now the Qishan and Fufeng area) at the foot of the Qinling Mountains and along the Wei River. After conquering the Shang Dynasty, they moved their capital to Feng and Hao. From that time until the Tang Dynasty, the Wei River Basin was regarded as the "center of the universe."
▲ In the urban area of Maiji District, Tianshui, the Wei River and an adjacent artificial lake display strikingly different colors. Photo by Reading-Writing People, from Tuchong Creative
Eight hundred years after the Zhou people, the Qin people descended from Tianshui and Lixian along the Wei River into the Guanzhong Plain. From the "Confluence of the Qian and Wei" in Fengxiang to establishing their capital in Xianyang, they rose step by step. From the words of Su Qin, a renowned strategist of the Warring States period, we hear the earliest praise of the region as a "Land of Abundance":
"Qin is a state fortified on all sides, embraced by mountains and girded by the Wei River. To the east, it has the Hangu Pass and the Yellow River; to the west, Hanzhong; to the south, Ba and Shu; to the north, the Dai and Ma regions. This is a Land of Abundance." —*Records of the Grand Historian·Biography of Su Qin*
▲ Flat farmland on the Wei River Plain. Photo by Zhang Yongfeng
Why could the Weihe Plain in Guanzhong become the earliest "Land of Abundance"?
First, fertile soil. When the *Book of Documents* evaluated farmland across the country, it ranked Yongzhou, where Guanzhong is located, as the highest, top in the nation. The loess carried and deposited by the Wei River is soft and fertile, most suitable for farming and cultivation.
▲ The ancient Zhengguo Canal, after renovation, still benefits the coastal areas. Photo/ Zhang Yongfeng
Second, water conservancy. The Qin people built canals in the Wei River Basin to irrigate farmland, represented by the Zhengguo Canal, which diverted the Jing River to the North Luo River, irrigating 1.15 million mu of farmland. The "scheme to exhaust Qin" instead became a "strategy to strengthen Qin," laying the foundation for unifying China. During Emperor Wu of Han's reign, the Longshou Canal was built, irrigating over 40,000 hectares of saline-alkali land and increasing annual yields more than tenfold.
▲ "Eight Rivers Surrounding Chang'an" nurtured a millennium of prosperity. Chart/ Monet
Finally, with the Wei River, the city had ample water supply. The Western Han capital Chang'an pioneered the ancient capital's water supply system. Emperor Wu of Han excavated Kunming Lake to practice naval warfare and for boating and recreation: "Kunming Lake's water, an achievement of the Han era, Emperor Wu's banners still in sight." In the glorious Tang Dynasty, Chang'an, the only city with a million people in the world at the time, benefited from the Wei River and its tributaries, creating the spectacle of "Eight Rivers Surrounding Chang'an" and maintaining the normal operation of this international capital.
▲ The Ba River, a tributary of the Wei River, its ripples evoking the splendor of the Han and Tang dynasties. Photo/ Zhang Yongfeng
The vast Wei River was bustling with endless coming and going boats, a vital transportation route for grain merchants. During the Tang Dynasty, the Wei River had many water and land docks, and the Guangyun Pool on the tributary Ba River hosted the earliest water transport exposition. Poets gathered by the Wei River, parted by the bridges, leaving behind moving poems:
The morning rain in Weicheng settles the light dust; The guesthouse is green, the willows fresh and new.
▲ Egrets on the Jie River scenery line in Tianshui. Photo/ Sun Zhen
In Qin land, there are Wu boats; Thousands of masts at the bend of the Wei.
One should stand by the shining water; It flows clear to the hometown.
—Li Pin, "Evening View from the East Wei Bridge"
▲ Yangling, Shaanxi, evening glow over the Wei River. Figure/ VCG
The autumn wind stirs the Wei River; Fallen leaves fill Chang'an.
—Jia Dao, "Recalling Wu Chushi on the River"
Whether in politics, economy, or culture, the most glorious era of ancient China was also the most glorious era of the Wei River.
After the Tang Dynasty, China's political and economic center shifted eastward. Longdong and Guanzhong declined, and the Wei River, like a mother weathered by time, embraced generations of children from Qin and Long.
▲ Sanhe Yilan Tower in Tongguan Ancient City, with the wetland where the Yellow, Wei, and Luo Rivers converge in the distance. Photo/ Zhang Yongfeng
With climate and environmental changes, the Wei River's water volume sharply decreased, relying only on rainwater from hundreds of small tributaries, truly becoming "the Wei River's water comes from the sky." Yet, she has never stinted the desperately gathered water from both banks.
During the Republic of China period, the Wei-Hui Canal and Jing-Hui Canal were constructed on the foundation of the Zhengguo Canal, forming a stable rear area during the War of Resistance against Japan. Their surplus grain and cotton strongly supported the war effort. The Weifeng Canal in Longxi transformed thousands of hectares of arid land into fertile soil. From the Xiakou Reservoir, known as the "First Dam of the Wei River's Source," to the Baojixia Weigan Irrigation Project, the Wei River has supported the "lifeline" of agricultural and domestic water use along its banks. By the end of the 20th century, the Guanzhong region had nearly 110 irrigation projects, each covering over 10,000 mu (about 667 hectares), connected from west to east, creating the well-deserved "Guanzhang Granary."
▲ The Baojixia Weigan Irrigation Project benefits 1.7 million mu (about 113,333 hectares) of surrounding land. Photo/VCG
Beyond agriculture, the Wei River has also supported Tianshui and Baoji in becoming emerging industrial cities. With guaranteed water resources, manufacturing has expanded from meeting basic needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation to encompassing aerospace, railway equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automobiles, and other comprehensive fields. Today, Baoji has become an internationally renowned and domestically leading manufacturing base.
▲ The Fangtangpu Grand Bridge on the Baoji-Tianshui Railway, where gorges meet tunnels and the railway intertwines with the Wei River, is a spectacular sight. Photo/VCG
In recent years, however, the Wei River has grown "tired." Her children have forgotten to care for this mother who has nurtured them for millennia. Since the last century, the environment along the Wei River has deteriorated, with water levels sharply declining and pollution becoming severe. "The upper reaches have dried up, the middle reaches have turned foul, and the lower reaches are silted up." Even the famous idiom "Jing and Wei are distinct" has taken on entirely different interpretations over time.
▲ The distinct clarity and turbidity of the two rivers now vary with seasons and water levels. Photo/VCG
The Jing River is the largest tributary of the Wei River and the largest sediment-carrying river in the Yellow River Basin. As the saying goes, "One dan of Jing water carries several dou of mud," so in ancient times, the Wei River was clear while the Jing River was muddy. Li Bai once wrote in a poem: "The Wei River is as clear as the Milky Way, flowing endlessly across the sky." However, as the Wei River's environment deteriorated and its water became polluted, the Jing River appeared clearer, leading to a period where "Jing and Wei are distinct" manifested as "turbid Wei and clear Jing."
Fortunately, since the new century, both Shaanxi and Gansu provinces have begun efforts to manage the Wei River. The construction of the Dongzhuang Reservoir intercepts sediment from tributaries; the "Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Water Diversion" project tunnels through the vast Qinling Mountains for nearly 100 kilometers, with the Han River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, generously supplying water to the Wei River.
▲ The "Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Water Diversion" project, with rivers traversing the Qinling Mountains. Photo/VCG
Through joint efforts in dredging, leveling riverbanks, and pollution control by both provinces, the Wei River has been able to recover. Ecological construction along its banks has restored vast wetlands and forests. Lakes like Xianyang Lake and Xi'an Lake shimmer with ripples. The "Wei River Hundred-Mile Gallery" and "Ten-Mile Reed Green Corridor" feature endless lotus and reeds, with scenic views at every step, reminiscent of Bai Juyi's praise: "The Wei River is like a mirror, with carp and bream swimming within." Today, the clarity and turbidity of the Wei River change with seasons and water levels, and the spectacle of "Jing and Wei are distinct" continues to unfold.
She is like a bowl of soup indispensable to the people of Shaanxi—sometimes light, sometimes thick. "Once you drink it, you have everything." Over the tens of thousands of years spent alongside humanity, the Wei River's journey seems cyclical. Now, she is returning to her original state.
▲ Under the glow of the setting sun, the Wei River slowly merges into the Yellow River, ending its journey across the lands of Shaanxi and Gansu. Photo/Li Ping'an
The lands of Shaanxi and Gansu have experienced prosperity and decline, all witnessed by the Wei River as it flows silently and tirelessly. When she weeps, the banks weep with her; when she sings joyfully, the lands sing along. The Wei River, originating from ancient myths, nurtured the prosperity of the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. Today, she remains an irreplaceable mother in the hearts of the people of Shaanxi and Gansu.
"Chinese National Geography" Yellow River · Loess Special Issue, 2017
The Wei River Is a Bowl of Soup, Qinling, 2015
Directory of Rivers in Gansu, Yang Chengyou, Liu Jinqi, 2013
Wei River Culture, edited by Liu Mengzhi, 2018
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