Wei River - wikipedia Wei River This article is about the river in west - central China. For other smaller Chinese rivers, see Wei River ( disambiguation ). The drainage basin of the modern Wei. The Wei River ( Chinese : 渭 河 ; pinyin : Wèi Hé ; Wade -- Giles : Wei Ho ) is a major river in west - central China 's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization. The source of the Wei River is close to Weiyuan County -- Wei yuan meaning `` Wei 's source '' -- in Gansu province, less than 200 kilometres ( 120 mi ) from the Yellow River at Lanzhou. However, due to the sharp turn north the Yellow River takes in Lanzhou, the Wei and the Yellow River do not meet for more than 2,000 kilometres ( 1,200 mi ) further along the Yellow River 's course. In a direct line, the Wei 's source lies 700 kilometres ( 430 mi ) west of the main city along its course, Xi'an in Shaanxi province. The length of the river is 818 kilometres ( 508 mi ) and the area drained covers 135,000 square kilometres ( 52,000 sq mi ). The Wei River 's tributaries include the Luo River, Jing River, Niutou River, Feng River and the Chishui River. History Population concentration during the Western Zhou Dynasty ( 1050 -- 771 BC ). Note the extension up the Wei valley. The valley of the Wei was one of the early cradles of Chinese civilization, along which the capitals of the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang Dynasties were situated. The area of Dingxi around its headwaters in Gansu has numerous stone age sites from various early cultures. The Wei Valley is likely the earliest center of Chinese civilization, and also the location of China 's first major irrigation works. Some Chinese historians now believe the Wei is the ancient Jiang River that gave its name to the families of Shennong and the Yan emperor, two Chinese legendary heroes credited with the early development of agriculture there. The headwaters of the Wei River are also notable in the development of the Northern Silk Road. The Chinese segment of the Northern Silk Road connected Xi'an ( then the capital of China ) to the west via Baoji, Tianshui at the Wei 's headwaters, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, and the Wushao Ling Mountain, before looping north of the Takla Makan on its way to Kashgar and the routes into Parthia. In September 2003 extensive rainfall led to flooding that caused over 30 fatalities, and temporarily displaced over 300,000 persons. Ecological aspects of the Wei River have been examined with respect to flow rates in the Wei River. References Jump up ^ `` Wei - River Gansu ''. Wei - River - Gansu - and - Shaanxi - provinces - China. Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Online Concise Jump up ^ Pulleybank, Edwin G. `` Ji 姬 and Jiang 姜 : The Role of Exogamic Clans in the Organization of the Zhou Polity '' ( PDF ). Early China, 25. 2000. Jump up ^ C. Michael Hogan, Silk Road, North China, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham Jump up ^ 17,000 Houses Collapse, 200,000 Evacuated in Flood - Hit China, Agence France - Presse 2 sept 03 Jump up ^ J.X Song, Z.X. Xu, C.M. Liu, H.E. Li, Ecological and environmental instream flow requirements for the Wei River - the largest tributary of the Yellow River, 24 Jan. 2007 Major rivers of China Seven Great Rivers of Eastern China Yangtze Yellow Pearl Heilongjiang Huai Hai Liao Yangtze system Yalong Min Dadu Qingyi ( Sichuan ) Tuo Jialing Bailong Fu ( Sichuan ) Qu Wu Hanshui Muma Chi Du Bao Qing Chishui Xiang Xiao Lei Mi Zi Yuan Lishui Miluo Gan Fu ( Jiangxi ) Xin Qingyi ( Anhui ) Qinhuai Xitiao Huangpu Suzhou Creek Yellow system Black Daxia Tao Qingshui Wuding Fen Wei Jing Luo ( Henan ) Luo ( Shaanxi ) Qin Xiaoqing Pearl system North East Han ( Guangdong ) Mei Ting West Yujiang Yong Xun Qian Hongshui Nanpan Beipan Rong Li ( Guangxi ) Gui Liu Heilongjiang system Songhua 2nd Songhua Nen Mudan Ussuri Argun Kherlen Woken Huifa Huai system Guo Ying Shiguan Quan Hui Hong Hai system Chaobai Yongding Hutuo Ziya Daqing Wenyu Juma Sanggan Fuyang Wei Ju Jiyunhe Liao system Hun Taizi Xar Moron Xinkai Western Liao Eastern Liao Other major rivers Tarim Karatash Ili Shule Tumen Yalu Luan Red Minjiang Longjiang Lancang Beilun Nujiang Lion Spring Elephant Spring Yarlung Tsangpo ( Horse Spring ) Nyang Subansiri Irtysh Suifen Qiantang Puyang Jiao ( Shandong ) Dai Si Shu Cao'e Jiao ( Zhejiang ) Ou Mulan Jin ( Fujian ) Nandu Wanquan Taping Major canals Grand Canal Lingqu North Jiangsu Main Irrigation Canal Coordinates : 34 ° 36 ′ 42 '' N 110 ° 17 ′ 20 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 34.61167 ° N 110.28889 ° E ﻿ / 34.61167 ; 110.28889 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wei_River&oldid=793753487 '' Categories : Rivers of Gansu Tributaries of the Yellow River Rivers of Shaanxi Hidden categories : Articles containing Chinese - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Talk About Wikipedia Беларуская Български Català Чӑвашла Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 हिन्दी Italiano Lietuvių Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский Suomi Svenska Türkçe Tiếng Việt 文言 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 3 August 2017, at 18 : 51. 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Question: which river is important in the development of chinese civilization
Answer: Wei River