Wetland · Shandong
Yellow River Delta
黄河三角洲
China's youngest land, where the Yellow River meets the Bohai Sea
The Yellow River Delta at Dongying in northern Shandong is one of the fastest-growing deltas in the world, built from the silt of the Yellow River since the river shifted to its present northern course in 1855. Its wetlands form a national nature reserve and Ramsar site, and in 2024 parts of the delta were added to the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Yellow Sea–Bohai Gulf coast.
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural, Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, Phase II) · 2024
- Ramsar site · 2013
- National nature reserve · 1992
Key facts
Overview
The Yellow River carries more sediment than almost any river on Earth, eroded from the Loess Plateau. Where it enters the Bohai Sea near Dongying, the silt settles and builds new land at a rate unmatched in China: the coastline has advanced tens of kilometres since the mid-nineteenth century. The result is a flat, fan-shaped plain of new wetlands, tidal flats, reed marshes and salt meadows, crossed by abandoned channels of the river.
The delta is both a bird sanctuary and an industrial landscape: the Shengli oilfield, China's second-largest, works on the same plain. The nature reserve protects the river mouth and the old channel of the Diaokou course, which together are among the most important stopovers for migratory water birds on the East Asian–Australasian flyway.
How the landscape formed
The Yellow River has changed course many times in history. In 1855 a breach at Tongwaxiang in Henan sent it north-east into the bed of the Daqing River and out to the Bohai, abandoning its old mouth on the Yellow Sea in Jiangsu. Since then its lower channel has swung across the delta roughly every decade or two, each time building a new lobe of land while abandoned lobes are eroded back by the sea. The present Qingshuigou course dates from 1976. Its flow and sediment are now partly regulated by reservoirs upstream, and water-sediment regulation releases are made to keep the channel open. Where the fresh water meets the sea, a visible line separates the yellow river water from the blue sea.
Highlights
The river mouth
黄河入海口
Where the Yellow River enters the Bohai Sea, with the sharp boundary between yellow and blue water.
Birding wetlands
湿地观鸟
Reed marshes and pools near the river mouth, with towers and boardwalks for watching birds.
Old channel of the Yellow River
黄河故道
The abandoned Diaokou course north of the present river, now a quiet wetland and part of the heritage site.
Tamarisk woods
柽柳林
Salt-tolerant tamarisk groves on the saline flats, among the largest natural stands in China.
Plants and wildlife
The delta's mix of fresh, brackish and salt wetlands attracts several hundred bird species. It is a key breeding site for the Oriental stork and Saunders's gull, a wintering site for cranes and a staging area for millions of shorebirds on migration between Siberia and Australasia.
Plants
Common reed
芦苇
Forms dense beds on fresher ground near the river.
Chinese tamarisk
柽柳
Tamarix chinensis, a shrub of saline soils with feathery pink flowers.
Seepweed
盐地碱蓬
Suaeda salsa, which turns the tidal flats red in autumn.
Wildlife
Oriental stork
东方白鹳
An endangered stork that breeds here on nesting poles and pylons in one of its largest colonies.
Saunders's gull
黑嘴鸥
A vulnerable gull that nests on the salt flats.
Red-crowned crane
丹顶鹤
Winters in the delta wetlands.
History
1855
The Yellow River shifts north
A dyke breach in Henan sends the river to the Bohai Sea, beginning the modern delta.
1961
Shengli oilfield discovered
The delta becomes a centre of China's oil industry.
1976
River diverted to the Qingshuigou course
The present river mouth begins to form.
1992
National nature reserve
The delta wetlands are protected at national level.
2013
Ramsar site
Listed as a wetland of international importance.
2024
UNESCO World Heritage extension
Delta wetlands join the serial Migratory Bird Sanctuaries site, first inscribed in 2019.
Through the seasons
Spring
Shorebird migration peaks in April and May; storks nest from March.
Summer
Hot, green and humid; the reeds are high and the river is in flood.
Autumn
Seepweed reddens the flats, reeds turn gold and migrating cranes and geese arrive.
Winter
Cold, windy and open; cranes, swans and ducks winter in the unfrozen water.
Routes and ways in
Reserve road to the river mouth
A road through the reserve leads to viewing points near the mouth; boats run to the meeting of river and sea in the warm months.
Birding boardwalks
Boardwalks and towers in the reed and pool areas of the reserve.
Practical notes
- The delta lies north-east of Dongying city, which has an airport and rail links to Jinan.
- Much of the reserve is closed to protect breeding birds; stay in the visitor areas.
- The land is flat and exposed: sun and wind are strong, and mosquitoes are heavy in summer.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- New Chinese migratory bird sanctuaries added to UNESCO World Heritage List — The State Council of the PRC (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Dongying Municipal People's Government — Dongying Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Ramsar Sites Information Service — Ramsar Convention Secretariat (retrieved 27 September 2026)