For hundreds of years, on the eighth month of the lunar calendar, people have gathered along the shores of China’s Qiantang River at the head of Hangzhou Bay to witness the waves of its famous bore tide. Higher-than-normal high tides push into the harbor, funneling into the river, causing a broad wave that can reach up to 30 feet high. If the waves surge over the banks, spectators can be swept up, pushed along walkways or down embankments. Below, I’ve gathered images from the past few years of the Qiantang bore tides.
The Bore Tides of the Qiantang River
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A paramilitary policeman holds onto a fence as tourists run from tidal waves increased under the influence of Typhoon Dujuan, on the banks of the Qiantang River on September 29, 2015. #
Reuters -
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Onlookers are swept down a hill by huge waves in Haining, as the seasonal waves surged higher than usual due to the influence of Typhoon Trami, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on August 22, 2013. #
AFP / Getty -
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Visitors run away from waves from a tidal bore as it surges past a barrier on the banks of Qiantang River, in Hangzhou Zhejiang province, August 25, 2013. Picture taken August 25, 2013. #
Stringer / China Stringer Network / Reut / Reuters -
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Mannequins are toppled by the tide as a television crew films the scene along the banks of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou on September 25, 2010. The mannequins act as warning guides to alert tourists of the rising tides. #
Steven Shi / Reuters
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