ABSTRACT
Water is the source of life. It has been sought after and cherished since time immemorial. A number of the world’s great water systems enabled the rise of four outstanding civilizations. China’s own waterways have supported and nurtured generation after generation of people, including the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, among others. China is fortunate in that it has the third largest water system in the world, the Yangtze River, but also a number of other rivers that have in the past had ample runoff, the Songhuajiang, the Heilongjiang, the Haihe, and the Xin’anjiang.
