Yellow River: A Journey Through China
China: In Context
Overview: Yellow River Reveals China's Complexities()
December 10, 2007 China's rapid economic development has created an environmental emergency along the banks of China's mother river. A five-part series examines the contradictions and challenges facing communities along the Yellow River.
China: Environment
Part 1: China's Mother River Under Threat()
December 10, 2007 Over the centuries, the floodwaters of China's Yellow River have claimed millions of lives. Now, the problem has reversed: The river is drying up due to ecological damage, forcing nomadic Tibetans to give up their traditional way of life.
China: Environment
Part 2: Pollution Is Price of Economic Growth()
December 11, 2007 All along China's mother river, serious air and water pollution — the high cost of China's breakneck industrial growth — is evident. The environmental damage has catalyzed activists, but even those who worry acknowledge the contradictions of development.
China: Environment
Part 3: Chronic Water Shortages Hit Rural Chinese()
December 12, 2007 One of China's most pressing problems is a shortage of water across its northern region. Water levels in the Yellow River are low and farmers face difficulties irrigating their fields. The shortages highlight the sharp divide between rural and urban China.
China: Environment
Part 4: Yellow River Tourism Glorifies China's Past()
December 13, 2007 The area known as the cradle of Chinese civilization is undergoing a renaissance. Beijing is promoting tourist spots along the Yellow River — such as the caves at Yan'an that once housed Mao Zedong — that celebrate China's communist history.
China: Environment
Part 5: River Reflects China's Glories, Sorrows()
December 14, 2007 Throughout history, China's leaders have staked their legitimacy on their ability to conquer and harness the Yellow River. The Chinese Communist Party is no different. But now, it seems as though the river needs protection.
Reporter's Notebook
A Changing China, From Oreos to Spit-Free Trains()
December 14, 2007 NPR's former China correspondent Rob Gifford had not returned to the country for two years, when he traveled Route 312 from east to west in the summer of 2005. Here he reflects on his trip back to the country where he was based for six years.
