Xi River

The Xi River (or Xijiang) (in traditional Chinese, 西江; pinyin, Xī Jiāng; literally, 'river West', also transliterated as Hsi Jiang or Hsi Chiang), is one of the three sources, the westernmost and most important, of the Pearl River, which runs through the south of the People's Republic of China. Regardless of its name, it is considered the main section of the fluvial system of the Pearl River, which is estimated to be formed by the succession of rivers, in a downstream direction, Nanpan–Honshui–Qian–Xun–Xi–Zhu. The Xi River, with its sources, is 1,930 km long.

Geography

The Xi River rises from the confluence of the He, Gui, and Xun rivers in Guangdong province. It runs in an easterly direction and after joining the Bei (468 km) and Dong (523 km) rivers, it gives rise to the Zhu (Pearl) River, which ends up flowing into the South China Sea through the river delta. of the Pearls, with numerous navigable channels, in the region near Hong Kong and Canton.

It is the largest of the tributaries of the Pearl River, with 1,930 kilometers, and its flow is the second in the country, after the Yangtze River itself.

Its sources, the Nanpan–Honshui–Qian–Xun rivers, flow from the east, from Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Most parts of the river are navigable, despite flowing through many gorges, and it is a commercial waterway in southern China, linking delta cities to the interior. Its waters are used to supply human consumption to cities such as Guangxi, Guangdong and Macao.

Another river of the same name, the Xi River, is a minor tributary of the Jiulong River, northwest of Xiamen.

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Xi River, and its tributaries, are:

• River He, 355 km, the northern branch of the Xi;
• river Gui, 437 km, northwest branch of the Xi;
• River Xun, 199 km, the western branch of the Xi;

• river Qian (江Ω), 122 km, which joins with the Yu to give rise to the birth of the Xun;

• River Liu (江;;, of 773 km, which joins with the river Hongshui to give place to the Qian;
• river Hongshui, 638 km, which joins the river Liu to give place to the Qian;

• Beipan river (449 km), which joins the Nanpan to give rise to the birth of the Honshui;
• Nanpan River (κ;;;;, 856 km, which joins the Beipan to give rise to the birth of the Honshui;

• River Yu, 1152 km, which joins with the Qian to give rise to the birth of the Xun;

Riverside Cities

• Wuzhou (Guangxi)
• Zhaoqing (Guangdong)
• Gaoyao (Guangdong)