Yalu

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Yalu

Yalu (yäˈlo͞oˈ), Korean Amnok, river, c.500 mi (800 km) long, rising in the Changbai Mts. in Jilin prov., NE China, and flowing SW to the Bay of Korea at Dandong; forms part of the China–North Korea border. In places it is navigable for shallow-draft vessels, but its chief commercial use is for floating timber to sawmills. Several railroad bridges span the river. The Supung Dam above Sinuiju, North Korea, one of the largest dams in Asia, supplies hydroelectric power to China and North Korea. Chinese troops entered the Korean War by crossing the Yalu.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Yalu

(Chinese, Yalü Chiang; Korean, Amnok-kang), a river that forms part of the border between China and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea.

The Yalu is 813 km long and drains an area of 63,000 sq km. The river rises on the slopes of the volcano Pai-T’ou Shan; it then cuts through the southern part of the plateau known as the Ch’ang-pai Shan and the western spurs of the Manchurian-Korean Mountains in a deep gorge before forming an estuary and emptying into West Korea Bay of the Yellow Sea.

The Yalu is fed by rain, and freshets occur in the summer. The river freezes over in the winter. The mean flow rate in the lower course is approximately 900 cu m per sec. There are reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants at Ungbong and Supung in Korea. Along the river are the cities of Hyesan and Sinuiju in Korea and Linchiang and Antung in China; the river becomes navigable at Hyesan, and oceangoing vessels can travel as far upstream as Antung.

The first land battle in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 was fought along the Yalu on Apr. 18 (May 1), 1904. The Russian forces—the Eastern Detachment of the Manchurian Army—were commanded by Lieutenant General M. I. Zasulich; they had 16,500 bayonets, 2,500 sabers, 62 artillery pieces, and eight machine guns. The main body of the detachment was defending the right bank of the lower course of the Yalu, from Sahodzu to Tiurenchaeng. The First Japanese Army, under the command of General T. Kuroki, had 34,000 bayonets and sabers and 128 artillery pieces. On April 18 the army crossed the river upstream from the Russian troops and launched an attack to turn the Russians’ left flank, which was defended by separate subunits of various regiments, with about 5,000 bayonets. The Eastern Detachment was defeated as a result of the enemy’s numerical superiority, the inadequacy of the preparation of the Russian positions, the dispersion of the Russian troops, and Zasulich’s poor leadership. The Russians lost approximately 2,200 men, 21 artillery pieces, and all of their machine guns before retreating to the Ch’ien Shan. The Japanese lost more than 1,000 men.

The success of the First Japanese Army on the Yalu made it possible for the Second Japanese Army to land on the Liaotung Peninsula and launch an offensive deep into Manchuria.

Yalu

a river in E Asia, rising in N North Korea and flowing southwest to Korea Bay, forming a large part of the border between North Korea and NE China. Length: 806 km (501 miles)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

References in periodicals archive ?

The Garratts' western-style restaurant, which bears a sign touting french toast and hot dogs, has a view of traffic flowing across the Yalu River that divides China and North Korea.

China says investigating two Canadians suspected of threatening national security

Pictures of the cafe, which overlooks the Yalu river and the Friendship Bridge linking the two countries, show the "T" in its name is in the shape of a crucifix, with a backdrop resembling a stained-glass window.

China probes Canadians for alleged spying

While Beijing has expressed frustration in its alliance with Pyongyang, any break is unlikely as China does not fancy the idea of a united Korea, allied to the US, with troops stationed along the frontier at the Yalu River. The Korean peninsula is likely to remain a bubbling cauldron.

The Global Pivot To China

Korea is sometimes called "The Forgotten War." The basic sequence of events was the initial onslaught of the North Koreans across the demarcation line; the ensuing assault landing at Inchon; rapid movement of UN forces to the north of Korea; mass attacks by Chinese forces south across the Yalu River; two years of seesaw battles; and the final ceasefire agreement at the 38th parallel--where we sit today, some sixty years later.

Cold Days in Hell: American POWs in Korea

Instability immediately across the Yalu River directly threatens domestic stability in China's heartland because of the specter of many hundreds of thousands of refugees flooding into Northeast China.

China's North Korea policy: rethink or recharge?

The main means of transport were through a pipeline that runs along the Yalu River between the border of the two nations as well as by ship.

China holding up shipment of Iranian petroleum to North Korea

China sent forces across the Yalu River that forms its border with North Korea on Oct.

N. Korea leader visits cemetery for Chinese war dead

troops and bases along the Chinese border on the Yalu River, or perhaps a string of listening posts to gather intelligence?

The U.S. must set priorities in its occasionallytense dialogue with China

According to the report, Japanese media reported that North Korean parachute troops also conducted drills on Thursday in the city of Sinuiju, across the Yalu River from the Chinese city of Dandong.

Chinese city close to North Korean border holds air raid amid nuke threats

The PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) responded by saying, "The DPRK proposal to establish navigation markers in the Yalu River involves China's territorial sovereignty.

Contested border: a historical investigation into the Sino-Korean border issue, 1950-1964

Defying international warnings, Pyongyang launched the rocket in the village of Tongchang-ri, about 56 km from the Chinese border of Dandong, across the Yalu River from North Korea, just before 10 a.m.

North Korea rocket parts plunge east of Luzon

Toshio Miyatsuka, a professor at Yamanashi Gakuin University, said he and his wife were detained early Tuesday while he was taking photos and video from Jian, Jilin Province, of a bridge over the Yalu River, which forms the border between China and North Korea there.

Kyodo news summary -5-

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