When did the Yellow River first get a major flood-control embankment system?

The Yellow River has been controlled with dikes and embankments since ancient China, and major organized flood-control works were established during the Han dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago. Because the river carries enormous amounts of sediment, its course has repeatedly changed and its floodplain has required constant maintenance. Chinese states and local communities built, repaired, and strengthened levees over many dynasties. The river’s long history of flood management is one reason it is often called both a life-giving and destructive river.