Zhuoshui River

The Zhuoshui (Chinese浊水 溪, Pinyin Zhuóshuǐ Xī, W.-G. Choshui Hsi, PEH oē - jī - Lô Chui - khoe, Turbid water '), with a length of 186.6 km, the longest river in Taiwan. It rises between the main and eastern summit of Hehuanshan in the Taiwanese Central Mountains and flows into the Formosastraße.

Course

The most important tributaries of the Zhuoshui are the Qingshui, the Dongpuna and Chenyoulan. The Zhuoshui flows in a westerly direction, the counties of Nantou, Jiayi, Zhanghua and Yunlin, forming in some places the boundary between the counties Zhanghua and Yunlin. The river takes you past the places Shuili, Mingjian Zhushan, Xiluo and Dacheng, where it flows into the Formosastraße.

History

The name Zhuoshui ( " Cloudy Water " ) owes its high sand content of the river, the clouds his water in many places visible. After the founding of the county Zhanghua in 1723, Chinese settlers worked from the mouth of Zhuoshui from before into the interior and made ​​the land on both banks of arable. Due to its geographical location in the center of Taiwan's Zhuoshui is often regarded as the unofficial border between northern and southern Taiwan. During the Japanese rule over Taiwan, the colonial masters encouraged north of the river the cultivation of rice, south of Zhuoshui the cultivation of sugar cane.

Economy

The Zhuoshui is still of great importance for irrigation in agriculture in its catchment area. Moreover, it allows the high gradient in the upper sections of the river, using to generate hydroelectric power and to create reservoirs. The amount of water the Zhuoshui takes in the dry summer months from clear, so no shipping is possible. The river is crossed by a large number of old as modern bridges, for example, the Zhuoshui Bridge of Taiwanese high-speed train.

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