Bailong River

Tributary of the Yangtze River in China

白龙江 (Chinese)
འབྲུག་ཆུ (Standard Tibetan)

LocationCountryChinaProvincesGansu;
SichuanPhysical characteristicsSource • locationLangmusi MouthJialing River

• location

Guangyuan

• coordinates

32°22′11″N 105°42′36″E / 32.36972°N 105.71000°E / 32.36972; 105.71000Length576 km (358 mi)Basin size31,808 km² (12,281 sq mi)

The Bailong River (simplified Chinese: 白龙江; traditional Chinese: 白龍江; pinyin: Báilóng Jiāng; lit. 'White Dragon River') or Khuchu, Drukchu^[1] (Tibetan: འབྲུག་ཆུ, Wylie: vbrug chu, ZYPY: Zhugqu) is a 576km-long river in the Yangtze River basin. From its source to confluence with the Jialing River, the Bailong is actually longer and is thus the main stem of the Jialing River system. The scenic Jiuzhaigou reserve is found along one of the Bailong's tributaries. Two reservoirs have been constructed in Wen County (Bikou Dam). The reservoirs serve to provide hydroelectricity, aquaculture, flood control, irrigation and for tourism development.^[2]

History

In August 2010, heavy rains triggered a mudslide that dammed the river in Zhugqu County, Gansu, causing extensive damage and killing over a thousand people.^[3]^[4]

Course

The Bailong River, in name, rises in Gansu's Luqu County, just west of the town of Langmusi. The river drains the northern sections of the Min Mountains and then flows through Zhugqu and Longnan before meeting the Jialing River in Guangyuan, Sichuan.^[5] The main stem of the river, however, is actually a tributary that has its source in the Min Mountains, north of Songpan.^[6]

Notes

^ 陈观胜 [Chen Guansheng]; 安才旦 [An Caidan] (2004). 《汉英藏对照常见藏语人名地名词典》 [Dictionary of Common Tibetan Personal and Place Names]. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. p. 20. ISBN 7-119-03497-9.
^ "碧口水库好玩吗碧口水库可以钓鱼吗 - 云游网".
^ Bristow, Michael (8 August 2010) "Dozens killed in landslides in China's Gansu province" BBC News
^ Bristow, Michael (11 August 2010) "China landslide toll passes 1,000" BBC News
^ Atlas of China. Beijing, China: SinoMaps Press. 2006. ISBN 9787503141782.
^ "Chinese scientists pinpoint source of Jialing River". China.org.cn. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.