Yellow River Course Changes and Hydraulic Works during the Northern Song Northward Flow Period (1070s)

Timeline

1. 1071–1072Chanzhou (Chanyuan) · ChanzhouThe old northward channel of the Yellow River, raised by siltation, breached and flooded around Chanzhou, submerging fields and houses; the court sent officials of the Waterworks Directorate to inspect and conscripted labor to close the breach, marking the start of North China's flooding troubles in the Xining era.
2. 1074–1076Daming Prefecture · HebeiSouth of Daming Prefecture the channel partially shifted due to breaches; the Song court conscripted laborers to build dikes and cut diversion channels to reduce the flood force; this works program corresponded with the implementation of the Farmland Water Conservancy Law in Hebei during Xining.
3. 1077–1080Yellow River northward-flow outlet to sea (around present-day Wudi, Shandong) · ShandongAfter several years of closing breaches and dredging, the northward channel temporarily maintained its outlet to the sea, but downstream siltation remained unresolved; during the Yuanfeng era the court still had to keep investing in river works, laying the groundwork for the 1081 proposal to return the river and the great course shift at the end of the Northern Song.