View source for Si River

{{Short description|River in Shandong, China}}
{{about|the river in China|the Indonesian city known as Sishui in Chinese|Surabaya}}
{{Coord|35|13|31.01|N|116|39|13.00|E|display=title}}
The '''Si River''' (Chinese: [[wikt: Tứ hà | tứ hà ]], pinyin: Sì Hé; formerly [[wikt: Tứ thủy | tứ thủy ]], pinyin: Sì Shuǐ) is a [[Rivers of China|river]] in [[Shandong Province]], eastern [[China]]. It also ran through the area of modern [[Jiangsu Province]] until floods changed its course in 1194.

==Course==
The Si rises in the southern foothills of the [[Mengshan Mountains]] ( mông sơn ), then flows through [[Sishui County]] and the cities of [[Qufu]] and [[Yanzhou]] before emptying into [[Lake Nanyang]] ( nam dương hồ ).

==History==
In antiquity, the river was a major tributary of the [[Huai River]] in central China. Tributaries such as the Fan ( phản ), Sui ( tuy ), Tong ( đồng ) and Yi ( nghi ) swelled its banks as it passed through present-day [[Yutai County|Yutai]], [[Pei County|Pei]], [[Xuzhou]], [[Suqian]], and [[Siyang County|Siyang]] counties in Shandong and Jiangsu. Its confluence with the Huai occurred at Sikou ( tứ khẩu ) or Qingkou ( thanh khẩu ) at present-day [[Huai'an]] in Jiangsu.<ref>[[Li Daoyuan]], ‘’[[Shui Jing Zhu|Commentary to the River Classic]]’’</ref>

From a very early date, the Huai was connected with the [[Yellow River]] through the [[Honggou Canal]] (<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small>{{nbsp}}{{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext| hồng câu }}}},}} <small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small>{{nbsp}}{{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext| hồng câu }}}},}} ''Hónggōu'', "Canal of the Wild Geese" ).<ref name=needy>{{harvp|Needham & al.|1971|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=l6TVhvYLaEwC&pg=PA269 269]}}.</ref> In 486{{nbsp}}BC, [[King Fuchai]] of [[state of Wu|Wu]] built the [[Hangou Canal]] (<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small>{{nbsp}}{{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext| hàn | câu }}}},}} <small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small>{{nbsp}}{{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext| hàn | câu }}}},}} ''Hángōu''), connecting the Huai and Honggou to the [[Yangtze River]] to their south.<ref name=chow>{{harvp|Zhao|2015|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5fmJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 206]}}.</ref> Amid his ongoing wars against [[state of Qi|Qi]] and [[Jin (Chinese state)|Jin]], in 483 and 482{{nbsp}}BC, he further expanded this network with the [[Heshui Canal]] (<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small>{{nbsp}}{{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext| hà thủy | vận hà }}}},}} <small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small>{{nbsp}}{{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext| hà thủy | vận hà }}}},}} ''Héshuǐ Yùnhé''), connecting the Si with the [[Ji River]],<ref name=chow/> which ran parallel to the Yellow River through densely peopled districts in what is now western Shandong.

In 1194, at the time of the Song and Jin Dynasties, the [[Yellow River]] altered its course southwards,<ref>René Grousset ''The rise and splendor of the Chinese Empire'', University of California Press, 1959, 3rd printing, page 303 (map)</ref> engulfing the lower reaches of the Si River below Xuzhou City and those of the Huai River below Huai'an. As a result, the Si River no longer exists in Jiangsu Province.

During the [[1851–1855 Yellow River floods]], the Yellow River once more altered its course northwards, assuming the course of the former [[Ji River]] and again passing north of the Shandong Peninsula in 1852. However, due to the large amount of [[silt]] carried by the river, it left behind a {{convert|4|to|6|m|ft|adj=on}} high layer of mud in the lower reaches of the Si River’s former course.

==Legacy==
The philosopher [[Confucius]] is buried on the north bank of the Si River where it passes through [[Qufu]]. The river was also traditionally regarded as a place where the [[Nine Tripod Cauldrons|Nine Cauldrons]] were lost. Its name was preserved in the imperial [[Si Prefecture (Huai valley)|Si Prefecture and Subprefecture]] and the present-day [[Si County]] in [[Anhui]].

==See also==
*[[List of rivers in China]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}
===Bibliography===
* {{citation |last=Needham |first=Joseph |authorlink=Joseph Needham |title=Science & Civilization in China, ''Vol. IV:'' Physics and Physical Technology, ''Pt. III:'' Civil Engineering and Nautics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l6TVhvYLaEwC |author2=Wang Ling |author3=Lu Gwei-djen |display-authors=1 |location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1971 |isbn=9780521070607 |ref={{harvid|Needham & al.|1971}} }}.
* {{citation |last=Zhao |first=Dingxin |author-mask=Zhao Dingxin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5fmJCgAAQBAJ |title=The Confucian-Legalist State: A New Theory of Chinese History |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2015 |isbn=978-0-19-935173-2 }}.


[[Category:Rivers of Shandong]]

{{China Rivers}}