The Cao'e River () is one of the largest rivers in

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

Province of

East China East China () is a geographical region in the People’s Republic of China, mainly consisting of seven province-level administrative divisions, namely the provinces (from north to south) Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, ...

, named after Cao E, a

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

girl venerated for her

filial piety Filial piety is the virtue of exhibiting love and respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors, particularly within the context of Confucian ethics, Confucian, Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhist ethics, Buddhist, and Daoism, Daoist ethics. ...

. Its main source is in

Pan'an County Pan'an County () is a county of central Zhejiang province, China. It is under the administration of the Jinhua city. Administrative divisions Towns: * Anwen (安文镇), Shanghu (尚湖镇), Fangqian (方前镇), Xinwo (新渥镇), Jianshan ( ...

in the Dapan Mountains, and the river empties into the Hangzhou Bay near the

Qiantang River The Qiantang River (), formerly known as the Hangchow River Postal Map Romanization, or Tsientang River, is a rivers of China, river in East China. An important commercial artery, it runs for through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial c ...

estuary. It has a total length of , and a basin area of .

Names

The Cao'e River is named after Cao E (130–143 AD), a

girl who drowned herself in the river after her father had drowned and his body was lost. She came to be venerated as an exemplar of

. In ancient times, the river was called the Shun River (舜江), after the legendary

Emperor Shun Emperor Shun ( zh, c=帝舜, p=Dì Shùn) was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 229 ...

, and its estuary was called Dong Xiao Jiang (东小江, East Small River). Its upper stretch is called the Chengtan River (澄潭江), and the river is also called Shanxi or Shan Creek (剡溪) near Shengzhou, and Shangyu River in Shangyu District.

Course

The Cao'e River begins from the Jiangongling Mountain (尖公岭, elevation 870 meters) of the Dapan Mountains (大盘山脉). Its source, Tengxi or Teng Creek (藤溪), is located in Wangcun Village, Shanghu Town,

. The upper stretch is called the Chengtan River, which flows northeast through Jingling Town, Chengtan Town, and southern Shengzhou, for 91 kilometres. The Chengtan River is joined by the Xinchang River in Shengzhou. After the confluence the river is called Cao'e, and is then joined by the Changle River on the left, and the Huangze River on the right. After it enters Shangyu District, the Cao'e River is joined by the Xiaguan Creek (下管溪) in Zhangzhen, and then the Xiaoshun River in Shangpu (上浦). It is then crossed by several canals including the Zhedong (East Zhejiang) Canal, before emptying into the Hangzhou Bay. It has a total length of , and a basin area of .

Main tributaries

The Chengtan River, the main source of Cao'e, is often considered a tributary. It is long and has a basin area of . The Xinchang River is long and has a basin area of . It originates in Tiantai County. The Changle River is long and has a basin area of . It originates in Dongyang and joins the Cao'e River in downtown Shengzhou. The Huangze River is long and has a basin area of . It originates from the Xiabo Peak on the border of

Ninghai Ninghai County () is a county under the administration of Ningbo, in the east of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It covers a land area of and a sea area of and has a coastline. It has four sub-districts, 11 towns, three townsh ...

and Xinchang counties. The Xiaoshun River is long and has a basin area of . Its two main sources, South Creek and North Creek, are in Shengzhou and Shaoxing County, respectively.

Tourism

A area of the Cao'e River basin in Shangyu is a provincial scenic area of Zhejiang. It was a popular destination for travelling poets during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. A major attraction is the Cao'e Temple, built in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

(960–1279) to commemorate the filial daughter. It has many historical carvings and boards inscribed with

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

from famous people. It has been called the "No. 1 temple of

Jiangnan Jiangnan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu ...

". Other sights include the hometown of Zhu Yingtai and the hermitage of the renowned Eastern Jin Prime Minister Xie An.

References

External links

Cao'e River
on Baidu Baike {{Authority control Rivers of Zhejiang Shaoxing Jinhua Shangyu