Qiantang River is the biggest river Yangtze River tour in Zhejiang Province, running from the west to Hangzhou Bay in the east and plays an important role in water transportation between the east and west. The river is encircled by a group of economically booming cities, including Shanghai, China's leading industrial and commercial hub, and Ningbo, one of China's leading port cities. Qiantang River's extraordinary surging tide is a world-renowned natural wonder caused by the gravitational pull of the stars and planets. The centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the earth and Hangzhou Bay's peculiar bottleneck shape makes it easy for the tide to come in but not go out.

The Qiantang River runs through Yanguan Town, Haining City, 45 kilometers to the Northeast of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It originates from the border of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, flows to the Ease Sea at the Hangzhou Bay. It meanders along over 600 kilometers, including 360 kilometers in Zhejiang Province. It used to be called Zhejiang River, Lucha River or Qujiang River.

Qiantang River's soaring tide is such a marvelous spectacle that only the Amazon River's surging tide can compare. Annually, millions of people from both home and abroad flock here to observe the magnificent tide on the 18th day of the eighth lunar month (also around the Mid-Autumn Day Festival). When the surging tide comes in, the water can rise up to 30 feet, causing a thunderous sound - like that of a thousand galloping horses.

Crossing the river is the Qiantang River Bridge China travel deals, designed by the famous Chinese engineer Mao Yisheng, who defied the theory held by foreigners that it was impossible to construct a bridge in this particular area. As China's first self-designed and self-constructed bridge, the project lasted from April 1934 to September 1937. Qiantang River Bridge stretches over a distance of 1,453 meters. It is also the first modern double-layered bridge in China. The bridge's upper layer is a highway and the layer below, a railway. Looking out from the Six Harmonies Pagoda one can get a panoramic view of the mighty Qiantang River, the majestic Qiantang River Bridge, and the surrounding landscape.

Riding the wave
The annual arrival of the tidal bore to Qianjiang River in Haining, Zhejiang Province top 10 China tours, is an impressive event that is worth a visit - provided that tourists don't stand too close to the guardrails. Since the rushing tide can be life threatening, it is crucial to follow the advice of local authorities regarding safety and security measures.

A tidal bore is a body of water that travels upstream at twice or three times the speed of a normal tidal current. Tidal bores are caused by a combination of lunar and solar gravity and a sandy river bottom. As the massive wave advances up the river, the tide is produced by fresh water that has passed down further and been collected and returned ahead of the incoming tide. The velocity of the advancing saltwater is thus used to calculate how much water comprises the regular tidal flow and how much is caused by the bore effect.

In a layperson's terms, tidal waters are forced in through the bell-shaped mouth of the river, unable to flow out, which creates a massive, bulbous wave of water.

The Amazon River in Brazil has the most famous tidal bore, which stretches 14km across and 3.5 meters high. Similarly impressive are the regular tidal bores at the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada, which can reach approximately 15 meters.

Zhejiang Province's bore reaches between 3.5-8 meters, with the 18th day of the eighth lunar month as the best time to catch the wave. As the tide snakes its way along the Qiantang River travel to China, it encounters such obstacles as mountains, dams, and ox-bow bends, forming columns of water between 2 and 10 meters height.