The Yellow River [5,464 km (3,395 miles)] is known as the mother river by all the Chinese people. It is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River. The headwaters of this mighty river lie in Kunlun Mountains in northwestern Qinghai Province. It runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions on its way to the Bohai Sea. It is not exaggerating to say that this river is a melting pot, because there are more than 30 branches and countless streams feeding it through its course.