<P> Another historical source of devastating floods is the collapse of upstream ice dams in Inner Mongolia with an accompanying sudden release of vast quantities of impounded water . There have been 11 such major floods in the past century, each causing tremendous loss of life and property . Nowadays, explosives dropped from aircraft are used to break the ice dams before they become dangerous . </P> <P> Before modern dams came to China, the Yellow River was extremely prone to flooding . In the 2,540 years from 595 BC to 1946 AD, the Yellow River has been reckoned to have flooded 1,593 times, shifting its course 26 times noticeably and nine times severely . These floods include some of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded . Before modern disaster management, when floods occurred, some of the population might initially die from drowning but then many more would suffer from the ensuing famine and spread of diseases . </P> <P> In Chinese mythology, the giant Kua Fu drained the Yellow River and the Wei River to quench his burning thirst as he pursued the Sun . Historical documents from the Spring and Autumn period and Qin Dynasty indicate that the Yellow River at that time flowed considerably north of its present course . These accounts show that after the river passed Luoyang, it flowed along the border between Shanxi and Henan Provinces, then continued along the border between Hebei and Shandong before emptying into Bohai Bay near present - day Tianjin . Another outlet followed essentially the present course . </P> <P> The river left these paths in 602 BC and shifted completely south of the Shandong Peninsula . Sabotage of dikes, canals, and reservoirs and deliberate flooding of rival states became a standard military tactic during the Warring States period . As the Yellow River valley was the major entryway to the Guanzhong area and the state of Qin from the North China Plain, Qin heavily fortified the Hangu Pass; it saw numerous battles and was also an important chokepoint protecting the Han capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang . Major flooding in AD 11 is credited with the downfall of the short - lived Xin dynasty, and another flood in AD 70 returned the river north of Shandong on essentially its present course . </P>

Where is the yellow river located in ancient china
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