The lower reaches of the river encompass the
floodplain between the dike embankments, and the area
outside the levees fed by river diversions, which
incorporates the river's alluvial plain in Henan
and the North China Plain. The river provides
irrigation to an area of about 15,000 sq km. The climate
is dry and windy in spring, hot and wet in summer,
dry in fall, and moderately cold and dry in winter.
Its population reached 126 million in the 1980s, and
is estimated to grow to 146 million in year 2000.
At the present time about 44 million people participate
in farming consuming about 80% of the total labor force
sharing between men and women almost equally.
Picture source: YRCC, Huanghe Feng,
Yellow River Pub House, 1996.