QIANTANG RIVER
The river and the city are inseparable; together, they form a whole. Just as the Danube is to Budapest, the Qiantang River is one of Hangzhou’s natural gems. It is an important trade route, its fish stocks provide a daily income for many families, it hosts several internationally renowned running races, and its banks are the perfect place for sightseeing, running, and biking.
The buildings lining both sides of the river offer an excellent opportunity to step out of our homes and take a short walk. The lighting of the buildings and bridges enchants viewers, and on special occasions such as the G20, National Day, or the Asian Games, the light shows take on thematic content. The video below was created for this year’s 2018 National Day: https://vimeo.com/296160352.
Unlike the Danube, the Qiantang River is not a venue for water sports. Neither stand-up paddleboards nor kayaks can be seen on the water, and only the occasional adventurous person can be found taking a swim.
The most fascinating attraction around the 19th day of the eighth lunar month is the massive tidal bore. At this time, water rushes into the river from the sea with tremendous force, generating waves as high as 9 meters. We missed last year’s event, but I saw this year’s, though unfortunately, it was impossible to appreciate properly. You can even surf the really big waves; you can watch a video about this and the size of the tidal bore here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAGABdvv5u8
And here’s the 2018 tidal bore, where you can see the wave on the far shore, behind the jet skis: https://vimeo.com/296166628.
And as we know, a lot of interesting things happen in China. One of the top news stories of the past few days was that a small whirlpool formed in the middle of the river, not far from the Fuxing Bridge. Of course, there’s no cause for concern—subway construction, gas pipelines, etc., are all fine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKN6c75UP74
October, 2018
