In recent days, the “Dragon Scale Tide” has reappeared on the Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang Province, with waves of tides crashing into each other, layers of foamy waves rolling up and down, and silver waves covering the river like a giant dragon cruising. Some old fishermen exclaimed that they hadn’t seen such clear patterns in sixty years.
On October 5th, the topic “Large-scale Dragon Scale Tide on the Qiantang River” trended on Baidu’s hot search list.
According to reports from mainland media, around 6 a.m. on the 13th, a silver line faintly appeared in the distance of the Qiantang River. As the tide approached, this white line magically transformed into thousands of scales, layer upon layer, covering the wide river surface. Under the sunlight, the “Dragon Scales” shimmered with a silver-blue interlaced halo, as if a dragon was swimming underwater.
When the “Dragon Scale Tide” reached the old salt dam area, as the tide head hit the embankment, splashes of water turned into countless crystal-clear dragon scales flying and splashing in the air. When the ebbing tide met the subsequent surging tide, the two water currents intertwined, creating a three-dimensional “Dragon Spine” pattern, making the entire river appear as a moving giant dragon.
This spectacle has attracted numerous photography enthusiasts and tourists who stopped to take photos. Some tourists captured the moment when a rainbow emerged through the mist, crossing the scale-like water curtain, resembling a mythical scene.
An excited old fisherman said it was the most complete scale pattern he had seen in sixty years, and the regular arrangement of the scales was truly rare.
The local cultural and tourism department stated that in recent years, the frequency of tidal wonders appearing has significantly increased. They recommended that tourists choose the early morning and twilight periods around the Mid-Autumn Festival in August on the lunar calendar to visit observation points such as the old salt dam and major gaps to capture this fleeting natural marvel.
On August 28th, a rare “Dragon Scale Tide” phenomenon appeared in the Hangzhou section of the Qiantang River, with waves crashing against the embankment forming ripple-like patterns. When viewed from high altitude, it resembled a lively and ethereal silver chain, playing around with onlookers on the bank.
A video released by China News Service described how the tide of the Qiantang River turned into a “Dragon’s Tail,” and the clear appearance of “Dragon Scales” was spectacular!
Photography enthusiast Mr. Qian said, “I have seen the ‘Fish Scale Tide’ before, but there weren’t so many waves near the shore, usually two or three at most, up to four or five. That day, there were so many, a whole row looked like a lurking dragon, with the tail swirling forward, and the waves near the shore resembled the tail of a dragon swaying.”
On August 29th, photography enthusiast Mr. Chen also captured photos of the “Dragon Scale Tide” on the Qiantang River in Zhejiang Province, with scales embedded on the river surface like scattered dragon scales. “I have been chasing the tide for ten years, and this is the first time I have captured such a complete dragon scale pattern.” He recollected, “The tide seemed to be imbued with life, drawing intricate scale textures on the river surface.”
Over the following month, different sections of the Qiantang River reported multiple special tide phenomena records, with the frequency of occurrences of “Crossing Tides,” “Single-line Tides,” and “Reverse Tides” notably higher than in previous years.
According to data from the Zhejiang Hangzhou Forestry and Water Bureau, the core observation points of the old salt dam, major gaps, and others received over 50,000 visitors that day.
Many families specifically brought telescopes and cameras. A resident, Ms. Chen, said, “We checked the tidal forecast of ‘Zhe Tide’ in advance, occupied a spot one hour early, and saw the moment when the dragon scales spread out with our own eyes. It was worth it!”