View source for Dong River (China)

{{Short description|Tributary of the Pearl River}}
{{For|other Dong Rivers|Dong River (disambiguation){{!}}Dong River}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{stack begin}}
{{Infobox river
| native_name = {{native name list |tag1=zh-Hans|name1=东江|tag2=zh-Latn|name2=Dōngjiāng}}
| image = Dong_River_Downstream_-_S3_Expressway.jpg
| image_caption = The Dong River between [[Dongguan]] and [[Guangzhou]]
| map = Dong_River_Basin_Map.png
| map_caption = Map of the Dong River and its tributaries
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[China]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Provinces of China|Province]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Guangdong]], [[Jiangxi]]
| length = {{convert|523|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|807.5|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| source1 = [[Dayu Mountains]]
| source1_location = [[Xunwu County]], [[Ganzhou]], [[Jiangxi]]| source1_coordinates = {{coord|25.11813|N|115.58582|E|region:CN-JX-07}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|2000|ft|abbr=on}}
| mouth = [[Pearl River]]
| mouth_location = [[Machong, Guangdong|Machong Town]], [[Dongguan]], [[Guangdong]]
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|23.03861|N|113.52134|E|region:CN-GD-19}}
| mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}
| basin_size = {{convert|35340|km2|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left = [[Nangang River (Guangdong)|Nangang River]], [[Xifu River]], [[Zeng River]], [[Jinshui River]], [[Shahe River]], [[Xiaojin River]], [[Xihe River]], [[Xinfeng River]], [[Yutan River]], [[Jiuqu River, Guangdong|Jiuqu River]], [[Dutian River]], [[Mati River, Guangdong|Mati River]]
| tributaries_right = [[Hanxi River]], [[Shima River]], [[Xizhi River]], [[Yirong River]], [[Baipu River]], [[Honggang River]], [[Sishui River]]
| mapframe = yes | mapframe-wikidata=yes | mapframe-zoom=4 | mapframe-height=250 | mapframe-stroke-width=1.5
| mapframe-frame-width = 260
| image_size = 260px
| map_size = 260px
}}

{{Chinese
| title = Dong River
| t = 東江
| s = 东江
| j = Dung1gong1
| p = Dōng Jiāng
| gan = Dung1gong1
| l = East River
| psp = East River
| w = Tung<sup>1</sup> Chiang<sup>1</sup>
}}
{{stack end}}

The '''Dong River''' is the easternmost main tributary of the [[Pearl River]], flowing through [[Guangdong]] and [[Jiangxi]] in southern [[China]]. Its source is [[Mount Yajibo]] in [[Xunwu County]] in [[Jiangxi]]. Since 1960, water from the Dong has also been exported to [[Hong Kong]].

==History==

===Water exports===

In the early 1960s, the increasing demand of fresh water in [[Hong Kong]] was increasing due to a growing population. The government saw that the most efficient way to fulfill the unmet water needs was through the fresh water sources in neighboring [[Guangdong]]. On November 15th, 1960, The government reached an agreement with Guangdong authorities to take 23 million cubic meters of water a year from the [[Shenzhen]] Reservoir, which itself was connected to the Dong River.

Later, additional pumping stations and dam works were built to further extend the supply. The new annual volume of water increased to 620 million cubic meters. More extensions in 1990 upgraded existing stations, leading to a new volume of 1.7 billion cubic meters of water, of which 1.1 billion went to [[Hong Kong]], 493 million to [[Shenzhen]] and 150 million for irrigation along the river.

Since 1960, 12 supply agreements have been signed, of which all were based on consumption projections in Hong Kong. These projections accounted for population growth, industry, commercial demands, and predications of local yields.

Due to the worsening quality of the water, the intake point of the water was moved upstream, and new sewage treatment plants were constructed. <ref>https://www.waterconservation.hk/en/at-school/secondary-school/water-resources-in-hk/dongjiang-water-supply/index.html</ref>

===Historical discoveries===

Since 1996, [[Heyuan]] has been the site of a large number of dinosaur eggs and bone fossils, giving it the nickname "hometown of dinosaurs." The presence of eggs in good condition is likely caused by the softened soil caused by the river.

In 2019, a 9-year-old primary school student from [[Heyuan]] accidentally found dinosaur egg fossils while playing on the river bank in the downtown area. Once museum staff came, they dug out even more dinosaur eggs. Totaling to 11 eggs, they date back 66 million years. <ref>https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201907/26/WS5d3ac1b9a310d830564013c6.html</ref><ref>https://archaeology-world.com/chinese-boy-accidentally-finds-66-million-year-old-dinosaur-eggs/</ref><ref>http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5MTA4NzgxNA==&mid=2651205545&idx=3&sn=dab82422bb5676931e8575547ff545a9&chksm=bd4862008a3feb1670ccdd575e27787eaa7da66ad56b717cffe35513199379e36c54f888e89d#rd</ref>

==Geography==

The area of the Dong River Basin is 35,340 square kilometers, with an average annual runoff of 32.66 billion cubic meters. It is the main source of water supply for [[Heyuan]], [[Huizhou]], [[Dongguan]], [[Shenzhen]], and eastern [[Guangzhou]]. The total population supplied with water is over 30 million. <ref>https://e-info.org.tw/node/28477</ref> The total discharge of water is roughly 807.5 cubic meters per second. <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20130317055747/http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_5/GEO_PLATE_D-6.shtml</ref>

The main sources of the Dong River and its upper tributary, the [[Jiuqu River]], are at Mount Yajibo in [[Xunwu County]] and [[Mount Sanbai]] in Anyuan County, in the prefecture-level city of [[Ganzhou]] in [[Jiangxi]]. Both are in the [[Dayu Mountains]] a subrange of the greater [[Nanling Mountains]], which span most of south China.

Reservoirs along the river include the [[Fengshuba Reservoir]] in [[Longchuan County, Guangdong]], the [[Xinfengjiang Reservoir]] near [[Heyuan]], and the [[Baipenzhu Reservoir]] on the [[Xizhi River]] a tributary further south in [[Huidong County, Guangdong|Huidong County, Huizhou]].

Before meeting the [[Pearl River]] in [[Dongguan]], it branches into several smaller streams before meeting it at different points further south.

The largest cities on the main river are [[Dongguan]], [[Luoyang, Boluo County|Luoyang]], [[Huizhou]] and [[Heyuan]].

==Issues==

As the cities of the Pearl River delta industrialized rapidly during the 20th century, the Dong River began to face worsening effects.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Major cities along the Pearl River}}
{{Guangdong topics}}
{{China Rivers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dong River}}
[[Category:Rivers of Guangdong]]
[[Category:Economy of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Tributaries of the Pearl River (China)]]