the Jin Di River

the Jin Di River

Opening the pages of history, we find that the Jin Di River is not an ancient waterway. Over 500 years ago, due to shifts and breaches in the Yellow River, the rudiment of a river channel was formed, stretching northeast from Huaxian County in Henan Province. It can be said that the Yellow River gave birth to the Jin Di River, which later became one of its tributaries.

Historical records show that there was originally a river channel south of the Northern Jin Di. During multiple breaches of the Yellow River, some parts were filled in or silted up, forming depressions. Whenever there was severe flooding, due to the blockage caused by the Northern Jin Di, the water would flow northeast along the dike. Over time, this created a flood channel. In 1453, Xu Youzhen excavated the Guangji Dyke, diverting water from Zhangqiu to Beikou (now north of Wuling County in Henan) to supply the Huitong River, laying the foundation for the Jin Di River.

In 1855 (the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty), the Yellow River breached at Tongwaxiang and shifted to its current course. The Qing court did not repair the left bank of the Yellow River for 30 years, leading to regular flooding on the left side. Floodwaters flowed northeast along the Northern Jin Di and entered the Yellow River at Taochengpu. Due to the high volume and strong force of the water, it eroded the riverbed, creating a sloped channel. Local residents gradually excavated soil along the river to build up the Northern Jin Di, deepening the sloped channel and forming the precursor to the present-day Jin Di River. After the Yellow River breached at Huayuankou in 1938 and diverted into the Huai River and then the sea, the Jin Di River became a drainage channel. Floodwaters from the north of the Yellow River—originating in areas such as Changyuan, Fengqiu, and Yanjin—gradually converged into the Jin Di River, forming one of the larger tributaries in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Because it runs parallel to the Northern Jin Di and drains into the old course of the Yellow River, it came to be called the Jin Di River.

The Jin Di River runs for 43 kilometers through Yanggu County, covering a drainage area of 77.84 square kilometers. Along the riverbanks lie six towns and 17 administrative villages.