Yellow River: A Journey Through China The Yellow River has long reflected the glories and the problems of China's past. Today, China's rapid industrialization is taking its toll on the environment surrounding the country's mother river. In this five-part series, NPR travels along the river to see the threats and challenges that lie ahead.

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Yellow River: A Journey Through China

An NPR series examines the toll China's rapid industrialization is taking on its mother river.

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Yellow River Reveals Complexities of Modern China

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'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's Mother River Under Threat

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Yellow River 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.

Yellow River Pollution Is Price of Economic Growth

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Chronic Water Shortages Hit Rural Chinese Hard

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.

Chronic Water Shortages Hit Rural Chinese Hard

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Tourism Along the Yellow River 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.

Tourism Along the Yellow River Glorifies China's Past

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River Has Long Reflected 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.

River Has Long Reflected China's Glories, Sorrows

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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.

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