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34-515: The following quote succinctly describes the authors who helped shape the literary image of the Xiaoxiang and their feelings in that regard: With few exceptions, their compositions adopted the literary trope of the south as a place of unjust exile, and the XiaoXiang literary paradigm came to be permeated with the themes of separation and accusations that the sovereigns were listening to the wrong men. Even

68-604: A protected Ramsar site since 1992. In 2007 fears were expressed that China's finless porpoise , a native of the lake, might follow the baiji , the Yangtze river dolphin, into extinction. There have been calls for action to save the finless porpoise, of which there are about 1400 left living, with approximately 700 to 900 in the Yangtze, and approximately another 500 in Poyang and Dongting Lakes. The 2007 population levels were less than half

102-555: Is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province , China . It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River , so its volume depends on the season. The provinces of Hubei and Hunan are named after their location relative to the lake: Hubei means "North of the Lake" and Hunan , "South of the Lake". Dongting Lake is famous in Chinese culture as the place of origin of dragon boat racing . It

136-550: Is also said that Han Shizhong settled in the region after retired from military service. The fashion spread to Japan , where eventually other famous places were substituted for the Xiao and Xiang rivers. One of the famous ponds based on the geography of the lake is at the Daikaku-ji in Kyoto. The agricultural colonization of the region began in ancient times, and by the 19th century much of

170-744: Is the East Branch of the upper course. As of 2011 Water Census of China, it may be regarded as the Main Stream of the upper Xiang River. Xiao rises in Xiangjiangyuan Township of Lanshan County , from the headwaters to Ping Island at the confluence with the West Branch (Left Branch) from Guangxi, it runs 365 kilometres (227 mi). With the tributaries, the Xiao River has a drainage basin area of 12,094 square kilometres (4,670 sq mi). In

204-724: Is the Main Stream of the Upper Xiang, which rises in the Haiyang Mountains between Xing'an and Lingchuan counties of Guangxi. In the 1st national water census of China in 2011, the East Branch Xiao River , was identified as the Main Stem of the Upper Xiang. The Ping Island of Yongzhou is the meeting of the two streams, the West source originating from Guangxi and the East source of

238-477: Is the site of Junshan Island and is home to the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise . In the July–September period, flood water from the Yangtze flows into the lake, enlarging it greatly. The lake's area, which normally is 2,820 km or 1,090 sq mi (data before 1998), may increase to 20,000 km (7,700 sq mi) in flood season, when vast amounts of water and sediment from

272-604: The 2011 national Water Census of China , it is the East Branch, not the West, that should be regarded as the main stream of the Xiang. This is because it is both longer and contributes a greater volume of water than the western branch. The east branch retains the name of Xiao River , and it rises in Yegou Mountain (野狗岭) of Xiangjiangyuan Township (湘江源瑶族乡) in Lanshan County , Hunan. The two branches converge at Ping Island to form

306-460: The Chinese folk religion , the river is protected by the " Xiang River goddesses " or "Xiang Consorts" Ehuang and Nüying . They are said to have been the daughters of the legendary ruler Yao and the wives of his successor Shun . Unable to bear the pain of their husband's death, they committed suicide in this river. An etiological myth relates the spots on the spotted bamboo ( 斑竹 ), also known as

340-569: The headwaters at Xing'an County , Guangxi , the West Branch flows approximately 261 kilometres (162 mi) to Ping Island of Yongzhou , where it is joined by the Xiao River to form the middle Xiang River. Historically it was recognized that the headwaters of the Xiang rise in Haiyang Mountains . People say the Xiang and the Li Rivers share the same origin, because the upper reaches of

374-538: The 1997 levels, and the population continues to drop at a rate of 7.3 per cent per year. Pressure on the finless porpoise population on Poyang Lake comes from the high numbers of ships passing through, as well as sand dredging . After flooding of the Yangtze River in late June 2007, approximately 2 billion mice were displaced from the islands of the lake when water was released from the Three Gorges Dam to control

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408-560: The Chang Jiang flow into the lake. The lake is also fed by four major rivers: the Xiang , Zi , Yuan and Li rivers. Small rivers also flow in, the most famous being the Miluo River , where the loyal official and poet Qu Yuan committed suicide in the early 3rd century BC, according to tradition. In addition, the Xiao River flows into the Xiang near Yongzhou , before the Xiang flows into

442-646: The Main Stem of the Xiang. The Main Stem is located in the eastern part of Hunan. The Xiang generally flows southwest to northeast from Lingling District of Yongzhou to Xiangyin County , and empties into the Yangtze River via Lake Dongting . The Left Branch, also known as the West Branch of the upper course is traditionally known the upper Xiang River, the portion of the Xiang River upstream called Xiangshui River (湘水). From

476-473: The Xiang bamboo ( 湘竹 or 湘江竹 ), Xiang Consort bamboo ( 湘妃竹 ), and teardrop bamboo ( 淚竹 ), to the tears of the weeping consorts. They were worshipped in some form by the people of Chu during the Warring States and its poet Qu Yuan is credited with writing the "Ladies Xiang" ( 湘夫人 ) to document the ritual songs in their honor. The late Tang Dynasty poet Yu Wuling is supposed to have been fond of

510-468: The Xiang has a length of 948 kilometres (589 mi). The Upper Xiang River has two large Branches, the West (left) and East (right). The West Branch is traditionally known as the main stream, originating from the Haiyang Mountains in Guilin of Guangxi . In Hunan , there had been debate on whether or not this tradition of regarding the West Branch as the main stream is actually founded. According to

544-408: The Xiao River originating from Lanshan County of Hunan. With the tributaries, the Xiang has a river basin area of 94,721 square kilometres (36,572 sq mi), of which Hunan has an area of 85,383 square kilometres (32,967 sq mi). In a situation of Guangxi source, the Xiang has a length of 844 kilometres (524 mi); In another situation of Xiao River as the main source stream,

578-458: The adjective xiao , meaning "clear and deep", was used to descriptively for the Xiang River. The Xiaoxiang region is the somewhat imaginative location of the various eponymous and highly symbolic Eight Views of Xiaoxiang series of eight paintings and/or poetry verses. Xiang River The Xiang River is the chief river of the Lake Dongting drainage system of the middle Yangtze ,

612-454: The excess. The mice invaded surrounding communities, damaging crops and dikes and forcing the government to construct walls and ditches to control the population. Villagers killed an estimated 2 million mice by beating them to death or using poisons, which also had an adverse effect on their predators. The lake was also featured on news services as having a problem with schistosoma and malaria infected mosquitoes. A restoration project,

646-437: The inlets. Influenced by the monsoon, the lake shows a significant seasonal change in its flow regime. The lake water level fluctuates dramatically throughout a year, up to 12.9 m (42 ft). The water surface area also varies with the fluctuation of the water level from thousands of square kilometers in the flood season to only a few hundred square kilometers in the dry season. The earliest rice paddies yet discovered in

680-624: The lake surface. The Dongting Lake catchment begins to enter the rainy season in April and the rainfall reaches its maximum in June. Then, the rainy area moves to the upper part of the Yangtze River Basin in July and flood water flowing into the lake from upstream increases significantly. The rainy season may continue until the end of September. The flow regime of Dongting Lake maintains the same temporal pattern as

714-490: The lake's shallower areas had been destroyed to create farmland. After 1949 a new round of wetland drainage destroyed much of what remained, leaving only a fraction of the original wetland intact, though some of that area has subsequently been returned to wetland conditions. Nonetheless, along with Poyang Lake, it remains one of the largest lakes in China, and is an important wintering area for migratory birds. It has been designated as

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748-694: The lake. In addition, some of water of the Yangtze River also flows into the lake through the Sankou distributary channels. The catchment has highly complex flow regimes featuring strong river-lake interactions. Dongting Lake receives water from the upper Jingjiang reach of the Yangtze River. The water in Dongting Lake finally flows into the lower Jingjiang reach of the Yangtze River at the Chenglingji Station and discharges downstream. The water in Dongting Lake mainly comes from surface runoff and direct rainfall on

782-462: The lake. Ocean-going vessels can travel through the Xiang to reach Changsha . The Dongting Lake catchment area is 257,000 km (99,000 sq mi). The lake's only outlet is a natural channel 14 km long and on average 1 km wide. There are four main rivers in the catchment (excluding the area whose water flows directly into the Yangtze River, the same hereafter): the Xiang , Zi , Yuan , and Lishui rivers, which flow directly into

816-520: The largest river in Hunan Province , China . It is the second-largest tributary (after the Min River ) in terms of surface runoff , the fifth-largest tributary by drainage area of the Yangtze tributaries. The river flows generally northeast through the provinces of Guangxi and Hunan, its tributaries reaching into Jiangxi and Guangdong . Traditionally, it was regarded that the West (left) Branch

850-510: The main flood-basin of the Yangtze. The rich sediment of the marsh attracted farmers. Embankments were built, keeping the river out, and the Dongting Lake area south of the Yangtze gradually became the river's main flood-basin. The Han state was actively involved in the colonization of the region, maintaining dikes in Liyang to protect farmland from flooding. At that time, Dongting Lake was China's largest freshwater lake. Because of its size, it gained

884-507: The name Eight-hundred-li-Dongting ( 八百里洞庭 ). Nowadays, it is the second-largest, after Poyang Lake , as much of the lake has been turned into farmland . The area is well known in Chinese history and literature . "Dongting" literally means "Grotto Court", and the lake was named for the huge hall or cavern, which was believed to exist beneath the lake, where the spirits of the Sage-King Shun 's wives Ehuang and Nüying were said to be

918-529: The name XiaoXiang has a melancholy ring. The name Xiaoxiang comes in part from the name of the Xiang River , which rises in the mountains of Guangxi and flows into Dongting Lake . There is a modern Xiao River , which is a tributary of the Xiang River, and joins it near present-day cities of Yongzhou and Changsha ; however, the name Xiaoxiang predates the bestowing of that name on the Xiao River: originally

952-611: The phrase "Hunan of the Xiao and Xiang rivers" ( 潇湘湖南 ; Xiāo-Xiāng Húnán ). The scenery of the Jiuyi Mountains and of the Xiao and Xiang rivers below is often mentioned in Chinese poetry . The late Tang dynasty poet Yu Wuling is supposed to have been fond of the scenery of Dongting Lake. During the Song dynasty , it became the fashion to paint this region's scenery in a set of eight scenes, usually entitled as Eight Views of Xiaoxiang . It

986-418: The rainfall regime. The flood season is from April to September. In general, flood water comes mainly from the catchment from April to June and from water diversion of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River from July to September. The annual runoff from Dongting Lake to the Yangtze River is 278.6 km /a (8,830 m /s), of which to 92.3 km /a (2,920 m /s) is received from the Yangtze River through

1020-522: The rulers of this grotto, which was claimed to have underground passages opening to all parts of the empire. Dragon boat racing is said to have begun on the eastern shores of Dongting Lake as a search for the body of Qu Yuan , the Chu poet (340–278 BC), and a dragon-king is said to live at the bottom of the lake. Junshan was also named after the goddess-wives of Shun, who lived there after his death by drowning, while they mourned him and sought for his body all

1054-577: The scenery along the Xiang River. The classic Chinese novel The Dream of the Red Chamber includes a character Shi Xiangyun who takes one of the characters of her name from the river. Mao Zedong 's Shian Kian Weekly Review , founded on 14 June 1919, publicized Marxism in Changsha . 29°26′N 113°8′E  /  29.433°N 113.133°E  / 29.433; 113.133 Dongting Lake Dongting Lake ( Chinese : 洞庭湖 )

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1088-664: The two rivers are connected by the ancient Lingqu Canal , which is located in Xing'an County , Guangxi . According to a traditional saying, 70% of the water in Lingqu flows into the Xiang and 30% flows into the Li River. In the past, the canal, along with the Xiang River and the Gui River provided an important waterway connecting the Yangtze River with the Pearl River Delta . The Xiao River

1122-436: The way from the source of the Xiang River, in which he drowned, and then on down to where it could have drifted, into the lake. Junshan Island, a former Taoist retreat, is a famous 1 km (0.62 mi)-wide island with 72 peaks in the middle of the lake. The island is also famous for its Junshan Yinzhen tea . The basin of Dongting Lake and its surrounding area is famous for its scenic beauty, which has been encapsulated in

1156-561: The world were in the Liyang plain, which was then on the western edge of Dongting lake. The state of Chu occupied the region in the Eastern Zhou period , and its territory there was taken over by Qin in the 3rd century BCE. During the Han dynasty , Yunmeng Marsh ( 雲夢大澤 ; Yúnmèng dàzé literally "Great Marsh of Cloud Dream"), which lies to the north of Dongting Lake in Hubei Province, served as

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