the yellow river, meandering over 5,000 km from west to east, is the second-longest river in china. it is called the "mother river" of the chinese nation, as the river basin has nurtured the chinese civilization.
sanjiangyuan (three river source) is the headwater region of china's three major rivers -- the yangtze, yellow and lancang. in the sanjiangyuan national park, 17,000 wildlife rangers regularly carry out ecological patrols and monitor wild animals. the size of lakes at the headwater of the yellow river has increased owing to ecological protection.
besides the headwater, protection measures are implemented in the whole river basin. at the eastern end of the waterway, the delta region has been gradually replenished with water from the yellow river. more than 370 bird species have been observed in the yellow river delta national nature reserve.
the river basin is home to 420 million people, accounting for 30 percent of china's total population. from the plateau headwater to the estuary, biodiversity is increasing and people's living standards are improving.
