Aerial footage captures spectacular tidal bore on Qiantang River

High waves and spectacular tidal bores were galloping forward as the Qiantang River tidal bores smashed dams in east China's Zhejiang Province on Wednesday, presenting thrilling and gorgeous scenes that stunned countless viewers.

A tidal bore is a phenomenon where the leading edge of an incoming tide creates a wave that surges up a river against the flow.

The Qiantang River is known for having one of the world's largest tidal bores, which has been dubbed the "Silver Dragon" by locals.

The tides usually reach their peak between the 15th to the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, which falls on Tuesday to Friday this year, as the full moon reaches its peak, with spectacular scenes to be marveled at by countless visitors.

The height of the tidal bore on Wednesday is forecasted to reach 1.4 to 1.6 meters.

The tidal bore is mainly caused by the gravitational pull of the moon.

The centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the Earth and the trumpet shape of the Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang makes it easy for the tide to come in, but difficult to ebb, thus giving rise to the largest tidal bore.

Aerial footage captures spectacular tidal bore on Qiantang River

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in China's eastern province of Zhejiang saw its cargo throughput exceeding 1.4 billion tonnes in 2025, ranking first globally for the 17th consecutive year, according to the port operator.

The port's container throughput surpassed 43 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year, maintaining third place worldwide.

Its port connectivity index remains the second highest in the world, with more than 309 container routes, connecting over 700 ports in more than 200 countries and regions, and nearly 300 vessel calls per day.

The port has launched more than 110 sea-rail intermodal transportation routes, linking 69 prefecture-level regions across 16 provinces and equivalent administrative units nationwide. The routes cover 40 inland dry ports. The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled over two million TEUs in 2025 as for its sea-rail intermodal transportation services.

China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port leads global cargo throughput for 17 years