The Yellow River (黄河, Huáng Hé) is the second longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the sixth-longest in the world at 5,464 km. Originating in the Bayankala Mountains in western China, it runs through nine provinces of China, namely Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, before entering the Bohai Sea (渤海, Bóhǎi). The main lakes along the river are Gyaring Lake (扎陵湖, Zhālíng Lake) and Ngoring Lake (鄂陵湖, Elíng Lake), Wuliangsu Sea (乌梁素海, Wūliángsù Sea), Dongping Lake(东平湖, Dōngpíng Lake).

The river gets its yellow color mostly from the silts which originate in the Loess Plateau and are carried in the flow. Traditionally, it is believed that the Chinese civilization originated in the Yellow River basin. The Chinese refer to the river as "the Mother River" and "the Cradle of the Chinese civilization", as its basin is the birthplace of the northern Chinese civilizations and is the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. But its elevated river bed in its lower course causes frequent devastating flooding.