CHINA: Tens of thousands watch the Qiantang river tidal bore

Record ID: 1963548

  • Title: CHINA: Tens of thousands watch the Qiantang river tidal bore
  • Date: 26th September 2010
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 25, 2010) (CCTV - NO ACCESS CHINA) TIDAL BORE REACHING BRIDGE TIDAL BORE FLOWING UNDER BRIDGE WAVE CRASHING OVER LOW WALL WAVE FLOWING ALONG WALL WAVE FLOWING ON SEA WAVE FLOWING PAST CROWDS OF PEOPLE WAVE CRASHING AGAINST WALL BESIDE TRADITIONAL CHINESE BUILDING AND CROWDS WAVE FLOWING PAST CROWDS ON ESTUARY BANK WAVE CRASHING INTO CAME
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  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA30PUUMEHAPXKDTQDRAYIO36I3
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Around 150,000 people came out on Saturday (September 25) to watch one of China's most unusual natural phenomena - the Qiantang (pron: chien-tang) river tidal bore, state media reported.
    Each year, just after the mid-Autumn festival, when the moon is at its fullest, a huge waves rolls along the wide mouth of the Qiantang near Hangzhou (pron: hang-joh) in China's eastern Zhejiang (pron: jer-jeeang) province.
    China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast the entire spectacle live, from the wave's first sighting to its final crash against a dam down river around three hours later.
    The "trumpet-shaped" mouth of the Qiantang helps generate the waves, which can be as tall as 3.5 meters (11.48 ft) in height.
    Tidal bores can be seen in several locations around the world where sea water is funneled by a river, though the Qiantang river bore is one of the largest.
    Since 1994 China has held a tide-watching festival to coincide with the event.
    This year the wave was predicated to be the largest of its kind the last eight years, encouraging even larger crowds than normal.
    An ancient Chinese legend tells that the 18th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the God of the Tide, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
    As well as the position of the moon, the size of waves is influenced by the temperature, quantity of water and wind, CCTV said.
    But the waves are a mixed blessing for locals. Dozens have been killed by the waves in recent years, Xinhua said, one of the worst accidents claiming 19 lives in 1993.
    To illustrate the dangers, this year authorities placed dummies along one section of sea wall which were then knocked over by the ferocious wave.
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