TheYalu River (Chinese:鸭绿江;pinyin:Yālù Jiāng) orAmnok River (Korean: 압록강;MR: Amnokkang) is ariver on the border between China and North Korea. Together with theTumen River to its east, and a small portion ofPaektu Mountain, the Yalu forms theborder between China and North Korea. Its valley has been the scene of several military conflicts in the past centuries. It borders North Korea to the south and China to the north.
The Chinese nameYalu ("duck-green") was first attested during theTang dynasty. According to theTongdian (8th century), the river was named after its color, which resembled that of amallard's head.[1][2] The Korean name "Amnok" follows theSino-Korean reading of the same name. In ancient times, the river was known asPeishui (Paesu, 浿水) orMazishui (Majasu, 馬訾水).[1][3]
Historically, it was also known by the Korean name ofArinarye (아리나례강, 阿利那禮江).Ari, a word fromOld Korean used to refer to the 'spirituality (신령성; 神靈性) of the sun'.[3] The second component might be related to the Old Korean word for 'river, stream', nari (나리, 川理).
Two other theories exist for the name Yalu: one theory is that the name derived fromYalu ula (ᠶᠠᠯᡠ ᡠᠯᠠ) in theManchu language. The Manchu wordyalu (ᠶᠠᠯᡠ) means "the boundary between two countries". In Mandarin Chinese,yālù phonetically approximates the original Manchu word, but literally means "duck green", which was said to have been once the color of the river. The other theory is that the river was named after the combination of its two upper branches, which were called "鴨" (Yā or Ap) and "綠" (Lù orR(orn)ok)", respectively.[1]
The river is 795 kilometers (494 mi) long and receives water from over 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) of land. The Yalu's most significanttributaries are the Changjin (장진강;長津江), the Hochon (허천강;虛川江), the Togro (독로강;禿魯江) rivers from Korea and theAi (or Aihe) (璦河) and theHun (浑江) from China. The river is not easily navigable for most of its length.[4] Most of the river freezes during winter and can be crossed on foot.[5]
The depth of the Yalu River varies from some of the more shallow parts on the eastern side in Hyesan (1 meter (3 ft 3 in)) to the deeper parts of the river near the Yellow Sea (2.5 meters (8 ft 2 in)).[6] The estuary is the site of theAmrok River estuary Important Bird Area, identified as such byBirdLife International.[7]
About 205 islands are on the Yalu. A 1962border treaty between North Korea and China split the islands according to which ethnic group was living on each island. North Korea possesses 127 and China 78. Due to the division criteria, some islands such asHwanggumpyong Island belong to North Korea, but abut the Chinese side of the river.
The river basin is the site where the ancient Korean kingdom ofGoguryeo rose to power. Many former fortresses are located along the river and the former capital of that kingdom was situated at what is now the medium-sized city ofJi'an along the Yalu, a site rich in Goguryeo-era relics.[8]Wihwa Island on the river is historically famous as the place where, in 1388, General Yi Songgye (laterTaejo of Joseon) decided toturn back his army southward toKaesong in the first of a series of revolts that eventually led to the establishment of theJoseon dynasty.[9]
The river has been the site of several battles because of its strategic location between Korea and China, including:
The southern side of the river was heavily industrialized during the period ofJapanese rule (1910–1945), and by 1945 almost 20% ofJapan's total industrial output originated inKorea.
During theKorean War, the movement ofUnited Nations troops approaching the river, despite repeated warnings by China not to, precipitated massive Chinese intervention from aroundDandong. In the course of the conflict every bridge across the river except one was destroyed. The one remaining bridge was theSino-Korean Friendship Bridge connectingSinuiju, North Korea toDandong, China. During the war the valley surrounding the western end of the river also became the focal point of a series ofdogfights forair supremacy over North Korea, earning the nickname "MiG Alley" in reference to theMiG-15fighters flown by the combined North Korean, Chinese, andSoviet forces.[10] As UN forces during the Korean War advanced toward the Yalu, China under ChairmanMao Zedong entered the war on the side of North Korea under dictatorKim Il-sung.[11]
The river has frequently been crossed by North Koreans fleeing to China since the early 1990s, although theTumen River remains the most-used way for such refugees.[12]
According to one scholar, the Korean-Chinese border along the Yalu River is the longest unchanged international border in history, lasting for at least 1,000 years.[13][14][15]
The pillar stubs of theYalu River Broken Bridge between Dandong and Sinuiju, which was established in 1911 and destroyed during the Korean War. The bridge to the left is theSino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1943 and also fell to destruction by US aerial attacks during the war but was successfully repaired after 1953 (direction of photo looking south into North Korea).
The Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge across the Yalu (Amnokgang) linkingSinuiju andDandong.
The river is important forhydroelectric power, and one of the largest hydroelectricdams in Asia is inSup'ung Dam, 106 metres (348 feet) high and over 850 metres (2,790 feet) long, located upstream fromSinuiju,North Korea. The dam has created an artificial lake over a portion of the river, calledSupung Lake. In addition, the river is used for transportation, particularly of lumber from its forested banks. The river provides fish for the local population. Downstream of Sup'ung is theTaipingwan Dam. Upstream of Sup'ung is theUnbong Dam. Both dams produce hydroelectric power, as well.
In the river delta upstream fromDandong and adjacent to Hushan are several North Korean villages. Economic conditions in these villages have been described as poor, without access to electricity.[16]
