View source for Hongze Lake

{{Short description|Lake in China}}
{{Infobox lake
 | name = Hongze Lake
 | other_name = Hungtze Hu, Hung-tse Hu
 | image = File:Txu-oclc-10552568-ni50-12.jpg
 | caption = A 1955 [[United States Army|US Army]] [[Army Map Service|Map Service]] map of the area around Hongze Lake ("Hung-tse Hu {{lang|zh|洪澤湖}}")
 | pushpin_map=China Jiangsu
 | image_bathymetry = 
 | caption_bathymetry = 
 | location = [[Jiangsu Province]]
 | coords = {{coord|33|18|27|N|118|42|36|E|region:CN_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
 | type = 
 | inflow = [[Huai River]]<br>[[Si River]], [[Yellow River]] (historically)
 | outflow = [[Huai River]]
 | catchment = 
 | basin_countries = China
 | length = 
 | width = 
 | area = 
 | depth = 
 | max-depth = 
 | volume = 
 | residence_time = 
 | shore = 
 | elevation = 
 | islands = 
 | cities = 
}}
{{infobox Chinese
|pic=File:1962-07_1962年_洪泽湖上捕鱼.jpg
|picsize=250px
|piccap=Fishing on Hongze Lake (1962)
|t={{linktext|洪澤|湖}}
|s={{linktext|洪泽|湖}}
|p=Hóngzé hú
|w=Hung-tse Hu
|l=
|altname=Fuling Lakes (antiquity)
|c2={{linktext|富陵|湖}}
|p2=Fùlíng hú 
|w2=Fu-ling Hu
|l2=
|altname3=Pofu Pond (Han{{ndash}}Sui)
|c3={{linktext|破釜|塘}}
|p3=Pòfǔ táng
|w3=P'o-fu T'ang
|l3=
|altname4=Hongze Pond (Sui{{ndash}}Tang)
|t4={{linktext|洪澤|塘}}
|s4={{linktext|洪泽|塘}}
|p4=Hóngzé táng
|w4=Hung-tse T'ang
|l4=
}}

'''Hongze Lake''',<!--Chinese in infobox; see WP:MOS-ZH--> [[Wade-Giles|previously known]] as '''Lake Hungtze''' or '''Hung-tse''', is the [[lakes in China|fifth-largest freshwater lake]] in [[China]]. Although it is known to have existed from antiquity, it drastically increased in size during the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] when the [[Yellow River]]{{mdash}}then still flowing south of [[Shandong]]{{mdash}}merged with the [[Huai River|Huai]]. The increased sediment and flow combined to greatly expand the lake, swallowing the previous regional center of [[Si Prefecture (Huai valley)|Sizhou]] and the [[Ming Zuling]] tombs. During the [[Imperial China|imperial]] and [[Republic of China (1912-1949)|republican]] periods, the lake formed part of the border between [[Jiangsu]] and [[Anhui]] [[provinces of China|provinces]] but since 1955 the previous borders have been shifted to place it entirely under Jiangsu's administration. It is now encompassed by the [[county (China)|counties]] of [[Sihong County|Sihong]] and [[Siyang County|Siyang]] in [[Suqian Prefecture]] and [[Xuyi County|Xuyi]] and [[Hongze County|Hongze]]<!--Huai'an 2018 also says Qingpu and Huaiyin--> in [[Huai'an Prefecture]]. Since the establishment of the [[People's Republic of China]], the lake has generally decreased in size as more of its inflow has been diverted for [[irrigation in China|irrigation]].

==Geography==
Hongze Lake reaches an area of about 3 million [[mu (unit)|mu]] when its depth reaches {{convert|12.5|m|sp=us}},<ref name=huaia>[[#CITEREFHuai'an5_Feb._2018|Huai'an (5 Feb. 2018)]].</ref> making it the second-largest freshwater lake in Jiangsu<ref name=huaia/> and the fourth-<ref name=shlwsaa>[[#CITEREFSHLWSA3_Sept._2020|SHLWSA (3 Sept. 2020)]].</ref> or fifth-largest in the country,<ref name=huaia/> behind [[Poyang Lake|lakes Poyang]], [[Dongting Lake|Dongting]], [[Lake Tai|Tai]], and [[Hulun Lake|Hulun]]. Hongze Lake's meandering shoreline usually runs around {{convert|365|km|sp=us}}.<ref name=huaia/>

==History==
The area that now forms Hongze Lake was an inlet of the [[East China Sea]] about 2 million year ago before being closed in by sediment from the [[Huai River|Huai]] and other nearby rivers.<ref name=huaia/> In [[Zhou dynasty|Chinese antiquity]], the area formed a number of shallow lakes collectively known as Fuling.<ref name=shlwsaa/> Other nearby lakes at the time that later merged into Hongze were Nidun and Wanjia.<ref name=shlwsaa/> The [[hegemon (China)|hegemon]] [[Fuchai of Wu|Fuchai]] of [[Wuguo|Wu]] constructed the Han or [[Hangou Canal]] {{nowrap|(<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|邗|溝}}}},}} {{nowrap|<small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|邗|沟}}}},}} ''Hángōu''), connecting the lake system with [[Yangzhou]] and the [[Yangtze Delta]] in 486{{nbsp}}{{sc|bc}} to improve the supply lines of his army in conflicts with [[Qiguo|Qi]].

Under the [[Han dynasty|Han]], Fuling was renamed Pofu Pond.<ref name=shlwsaa/> Acting as part of [[Lü Bu]]'s faction, the [[Guangling Commandery|Guangling]] administrator [[Chen Deng]] completed the first part of the [[Gaojia Weir]] {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|高|家|堰}}}},}} ''Gāojiāyàn'') around the year [[Jian'an Era|Jian'an]] 5 (around {{sc|ad}}{{nbsp}}200), a massive 30-[[li (unit)|li]] [[levee|embankment]] intended to protect nearby farmland and the Hangou Canal and nearby settlements and farmland from floods of the Huai.<ref name=huaib>[[#CITEREFHuai'an30_Jan._2018|Huai'an (30 Jan. 2018)]].</ref><ref name=shlwsab>[[#CITEREFSHLWSA7_Sept._2020|SHLWSA (7 Sept. 2020)]].</ref>

Under the [[Sui dynasty|Sui]], the Hangou Canal and lake were connected to other waterways north and south to create the [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]]. During an inspection tour in 616, [[Emperor Yang of Sui|Emperor Yang]] renamed Pofu Hongze in his delight at the rain that greeted his arrival there, the rest of the countryside having suffered a drought.<ref name=huaia/> When it further expanded under the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]], it became known as Hongze Lake.<ref name=huaia/><ref name=shlwsaa/> A massive flood of the [[Yellow River]] [[avulsion (river)|redirected it]] south of [[Shandong]] in 1128 or 1194, [[stream capture|following the course]] of the [[Si River|Si]] to join the Huai below [[Huaiyin District, Huai'an|Huaiyin]].<ref name=shlwsaa/> The silt from the Yellow River began to obstruct the flow of the Huai and [[stream pool|started to expand]] Hongze still farther,<ref name=shlwsaa/> ultimately quadrupling its original size.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} During this period, it became an important fishery and center of irrigated cropland.<ref name=shlwsaa/> It still forms the origin point of the [[North Jiangsu Main Irrigation Canal]]. Under the [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]], the course of the Grand Canal in the area was straightened to circumvent the lake.

[[File:Ming Zuling.png|thumb|left|250px|The map of the [[Huai River|Huai]] and [[Yellow River]]s flowing around [[Si Prefecture (Huai valley)|Sizhou]] and the [[Ming Zuling]] into Hongze Lake, from the ''[[Siku Quanshu]]'' edition of [[Pan Jixun]]'s ''Overview of River Management''. Both Sizhou and the tomb were entirely submerged beneath Hongze Lake during a subsequent flood in 1680.]]
Under the [[Hongwu Emperor]], the first [[list of Chinese emperors|emperor]] of the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] [[list of Chinese dynasties|dynasty]], the [[Ming Zuling]] [[garment tomb]] was built near the regional center [[Si Prefecture (Huai valley)|Sizhou]] to [[ancestral veneration|honor his ancestors]], whom he posthumously elevated to imperial status.{{sfnp|Danielson|2008}} Under his son the [[Yongle Emperor]], the Gaojia Weir was further expanded,<ref name=shlwsab/> in part to protect the site. In [[Wanli Era|Wanli]] 7 (c.{{nbsp}}1579), [[Pan Jixun]] enlarged and reinforced the weir with stone along its then {{convert|40|to|42|km|sp=us}} of length.{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}}<ref name=shlwsab/> His mismanagement of the area's difficult hydrology allowed Sizhou to flood and threatened the tombs, leading to his demotion and dismissal.

By the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]], the Yellow River had built up enough silt that it [[avulsion (river)|changed course]] again to merge with earlier tributaries of the Huai. In [[Kangxi Era|Kangxi]] 16 ({{c.|1677}}), the [[Viceroy of Rivers and Waterways|viceroy of rivers]] [[Jin Fu (Qing dynasty)|Jin Fu]] {{nowrap|(<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|靳|輔}}}},}} {{nowrap|<small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small> {{lang|zh|靳{{linktext|辅}}}},}} ''Jìn Fǔ'', 1633{{ndash}}1692) extended the embankments from [[Zhouqiao]] to [[Jiangba]] {{nowrap|(<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|蔣壩}}}},}} {{nowrap|<small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|蒋坝}}}},}} ''Jiǎngbà'').{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}} A few years later in 1680, the increased silting produced enlarged Hongze Lake so much that it entirely consumed Sizhou and the Ming Zuling.{{sfnp|Danielson|2008}} The [[Kangxi Emperor|Kangxi]] and [[Qianlong Emperor]]s continued the expansion and reinforcement of the Gaojia Weir, reaching {{convert|67|-|70|km|sp=us}} and completing the modern Hongze Lake Embankment.<ref name=shlwsab/> Altogether, from [[Wanli Era|Wanli]] 3 ({{c.|1575}}) to [[Xianfeng Era|Xianfeng]] 5 ({{c.|1855}}), the Gaojia Weir and Hongze Embankment burst 140 times, involving breaches in 300 different sections.{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}} During the worst breaches, the lake level fell as much as {{convert|10|m|sp=us}}.{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}} On one occasion in the 19th century, the [[Daoguang Emperor]] held the [[Jiangnan Province|Jiangnan]] [[Viceroy of Southern Rivers|river supervisor]] [[Zhang Wenhao (Qing)|Zhang Wenhao]] {{nowrap|(<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|張|文|浩}}}},}} {{nowrap|<small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|张}}文浩}},}} ''Zhāng Wénhào'', d.{{nbsp}}1836) in chains at the repair site for a month during repairs necessitated by his mismanagement of when the dams need to be closed and opened; he was then dismissed to serve in the [[Xinjiang]] border guards.{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}} For their part, local people made prayers and offerings to nine [[Chinese dragons|dragons]] {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|九龍}}}},}} ''jiǔ lóng'') near Zhouqiao for protection; the [[Chinese temple|temple]] was lost in a flood.{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}} In the early 1850s, the massive floods of the Yellow River that occasioned the [[Taiping Rebellion]] restored the Yellow River entirely to its northern course, finally removing its inflow and siltation from the lake.

Under the [[People's Republic of China]], counties in Anhui that bordered the lake were ceded to Jiangsu in 1955 to allow unified administration of the lake. By the early 1960s, its water level had dropped enough that the stone statues of the Ming Zuling's [[sacred way]] were again visible along the shoreline. After the end of the [[Cultural Revolution]], the provincial and national cultural preservation authorities excavated and restored the tombs, ultimately erecting a new {{convert|2700|m|mi|sp=us}} [[levee|embankment]] to protect it from any further flooding.{{sfnp|Danielson|2008}} In 1966, 1976, and 1985, the Hongze Embankment itself was reinforced and improved with more modern engineering and materials, particularly with additional barriers to break up the force of the rivers' and lake's waves against the levees.{{sfnp|Hongze|2008}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{citation |contribution-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116221141/http://en.hongze.gov.cn/showlvyou.asp |contribution=General Introduction of Hongze Tourism |url=http://en.hongze.gov.cn/ |title=''Official site'' |location=Hongze |publisher=People's Government of Hongze county |date=2008 |ref=CITEREFHongze2008 |access-date=2023-03-02 |archive-date=2012-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910180925/http://en.hongze.gov.cn/ |url-status=dead }}.
* {{citation |contribution-url=http://english.huaian.gov.cn/About/History/Historical/list.html |date=30 January 2018 |contribution=Historical Evolution |url=http://english.huaian.gov.cn |title=''Official site'' |location=Huai'an |publisher=Huai'an Municipal Government |ref=CITEREFHuai'an30_Jan._2018}}.
* {{citation |contribution-url=http://english.huaian.gov.cn/Tourism/Scenic/Scenic/content/5e38cfba6155fbc00161649871670b91.html |contribution=Hongze Lake Scenic Zone |date=5 February 2018 |title=''Official site'' |publisher=Huai'an Municipal Government |location=Huai'an |url=http://english.huaian.gov.cn/index.html |ref=CITEREFHuai'an5_Feb._2018 }}.
* {{citation |contribution=Hongze Lake |contribution-url=http://en.shhzhsd.cn/hzh/151.html |title=''Official site'' |url=http://en.shhzhsd.cn |publisher=Sihong Hongze Lake Wetland Scenic Area |location=Suqian |date=3 September 2020 |ref=CITEREFSHLWSA3_Sept._2020 }}.
* {{citation |contribution-url=http://en.shhzhsd.cn/hzh/535.html |contribution=Hongze Lake Embankment |date=7 September 2020 |url=http://en.shhzhsd.cn |title=''Official site'' |publisher=Sihong Hongze Lake Wetland Scenic Area |location=Suqian |ref=CITEREFSHLWSA7_Sept._2020}}.
* {{citation |first=Eric N. |last=Danielson |contribution=The Ming Ancestor Tomb |contribution-url=http://chinaheritagenewsletter.anu.edu.au/articles.php?searchterm=016_mingancestor.inc&issue=016 |title=China Heritage Quarterly |location=Canberra |publisher=Australian National University |issue=16 |date=December 2008 |access-date=2017-11-06 |archive-date=2013-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927215137/http://chinaheritagenewsletter.anu.edu.au/articles.php?searchterm=016_mingancestor.inc&issue=016 |url-status=dead }}.

==External links==
*[http://www.jiangsu.net/transportation/lake.php?id=126 Lake Hongze English guide] (Jiangsu.net)

{{Lakes of China}}
{{Jiangsu topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hongze}}
[[Category:Lakes of Jiangsu]]
[[Category:Huai'an]]