Qiantang tidal bore

Tourists try to escape as a huge wave hits the viewing platform on Sept 4, 2016. [Photo by Wang Xinke / For China Daily]

The great tide was born where the Qiantang River meets the sea

If you look at the coastal line of the Chinese mainland, you will find the shape of a horn at Hangzhou Bay, where the Qiantang River enters the East China Sea. It's here that one will find the world-famous Qiantang bore - the monthly formation of sea-like waves on the brackish water, when tides pull sea water up the Qiantang River against the current.

Every year, in mid-August on the lunar calendar, tourists will come and enjoy the view of the Qiantang bore. The year 2016 is special: the Qiangtang bore coincides with the G20 Summit, held in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province where the Qiantang bore occurs.