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QIANTANG DRAGON, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA
The Qiantang Jiang receives its waters from the Fuchun Jiang, which drains out from the highlands of south-west Zhejiang Province. The Qiantang itself flows into the characteristically bell shapped Hangzhou Bay. A large peninsula of reclaimed land on the southern bank of the bay, east of Zheshan Hill, constricts the river's width from 100 km in the Bay to only several kilometres beyond the Twelth Section, a hundred kilometres upstream. At the same time the river bed rises rapidly, producing the world's largest tidal bore.
The Dragon (referred to as both Silver and Black) is a formidable, and sometimes unpredictable, wave which has taken many lives over the centuries. It has sometimes been acknowledged as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
An annual tidal bore watching festival is held around the eighteenth day of the Chinese Lunar calender in September, when the bore is at its largest. The event draws crowds of thousands to the small town of Yanguan, in Haining, to spectate. With a tide range unable to rival the Atlantic, and the prescence of large defence walls, the bore rapidly loses steam beyond Hangzhou, travelling only a further 20km upstream.
STATISTICS
 LOCATION: 30º20'N, 120º30'E
MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 8.9 m
AVERAGE SPEED: 40 km h-1
BEST TIME OF YEAR: August to October
TERRAINE: Estuarine and fluvial
FEAR FACTOR: *****
MAPS
NOTABLE INTERNET SITES
Dragon Surfing from the Bore Riders Club
This page, based on the Jaws of the Dragon documentary, summarises a trip by some British surfers to ride the Qiantang Dragon. The page includes photos and animations of the Qiantang Dragon.
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QIANTANG DRAGON PLATE 1
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CONTRIBUTIONS
 Photos from the Jaw - A collection of film stills
Some film stills from the surfing documentary Jaws of the Dragon.
PLEASE MAKE A CONTRIBUTION................ CLICK HERE
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QIANTANG DRAGON PLATE 2
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