The beginning of Chinese civilization can be traced to the Huang He River valley. Huang He translates to English as “yellow river.”
The river got its name because it carries large amounts of soft, sandy yellow soil. This soil makes the areas around the river good for farming. But the river itself has both benefits and dangers. When it floods, people who live near it often die. That's why it has been called China’s Sorrow. One legend, or story handed down from earlier times, tells of a period when the flooding was so bad that it even covered the nearby hills. No one could find food. King Shun, who ruled several villages, ordered a government official named Yu to find a solution. The legend says that Yu got all the villages to cut channels to drain the water away to the sea. It took 13 years, but his plan worked. In gratitude, King Shun passed his throne on to Yu. Yu the Great has long been known as a legendary ruler of ancient China. Many Chinese people still say, “If it were not for Yu, we would all be fishes.”
