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Amazing China EP16: The Tidal Bore of Qiantang River
The Qiantang River is located in Zhejiang on the southeastern coast of China and flows into the East China Sea. Every year of the eighteenth day of the eighth lunar month, people gather along its banks expectantly, eager for the arrival of the tide. The waters of Hangzhou Bay and the Qiantang River meet on the horizon, forming a thin white line. Hundreds of thousands of tons of second the fusion of ocean and river dramatically tumbled back towards the land. The seawall contains the force of 7 tons per square meter. The waves can reach a maximum of 9 meters, about three stories high and even taller than four of China's famous basketball player, Yao Ming. The huge tides and waves do little to deter the bold. People jumped into the powerful waves as early as the Southern Song Dynasty of China, more than 800 years ago. The people of the time called them the Tide Players. It looks so much like today's surfing, minus the surf board. Today, the Qiantang River attracts thousands of people from far and wide for the annual tidal surfing competition. |
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