China's Sorrow. In 1887, the river flooded an
area of 50,000
square miles (130,000 sq km), killing nearly a million people. In 1938, the river again flooded a large
area. This
time, the Chinese military are said to have
initiated the flood by
blasting the dikes. The flood stopped a Japanese invasion into
China, drowning 6,000 Japanese troops and destroying much of their
equipment.