RIVER PROBLEMS IN CHINA 9 



Second, it controls the discharge of the Wei and Huai 

 rivers which will suffer if it is too long neglected. 



The Hai Ho. 



The publications of the Hai Ho Conservancy Board 

 give considerable information on the subject of the Hai Ho 

 Hinterland. 



The arrangement of the rivers in the neighbourhood of 

 Tientsin is very unusual and repeatedly leads to difficulties. 

 The common channel from Tientsin to the sea is termed the 

 Hai Ho but immediately above Tientsin a number of streams 

 meet. 



Proceeding from the south clockwise there are as 

 follows : — 



(1) The Nan Yun Ho or Grand Canal, which is really 

 the Wei River. This has a large tributary — the 

 Liu Chang Ho — and so receives the drainage of a 

 large part of southern Chihli and a part of south- 

 east Shansi. 



(2) The Hsi Ho, which has several branches leading 

 from the Wu Tai Shan region in Shansi and the 

 Pao Ting Fu area of Chihli. 



(3) The Hun Ho, which drains the rim of the 

 Mongolian plateau from beyond Tatung fu to 

 Kalgan. 



(4) The Pei Yun Ho, or Northern Grand Canal. This 

 is a high level canal fed by the Chao Pai Ho, which 

 drains the mountains north of Peking. The natural 

 outflow of this river appears to be to the Pei Tang 

 Ho through the town of Lu Tai east of Tientsin, 

 but by means of dykes the water has been diverted 

 into the Pei Yun Ho so that it passes Tungchow 

 and enters the Hai just above Tientsin. 



Both the Pei Yun Ho and the Nan Yun Ho are provided 

 with overflows towards the east. A year or two ago the 

 Chao Pai Ho broke away some miles above Tungchow and 

 it was considered advisable by the Chinese Authorities to 

 permanently divert the waters of the Chao Pai Ho away 

 from the Hai Ho, but as this river is the only one which 

 can be relied on to scour out the Hai, the Hai Ho Conser- 

 vancy arranged for construction of a dam (with an overflow) 

 at the breach. 



The Hun River has a very large run-off but the water 

 is heavily charged with silt and this tends to steadily choke 

 the navigable channel unless the water from the other 

 streams dilutes it. 



