Pearl River (China)

Pearl River (珠江)
Zhū Jiāng
Pearl River in Guangzhou
Countries	China, Vietnam
States	Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn
Source	various sources of its tributaries
Mouth	South China Sea
Length	2,400 km (1,491 mi)
Basin	453,700 km2 (175,175 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	9,500 m3/s (335,489 cu ft/s)
The course of the Pearl River system through China and Vietnam

The Pearl River or Zhu Jiang (Chinese: 珠江; pinyin: Zhū Jiāng; Jyutping: zyu1 gong1, literally "Pearl River", pronounced [ʈʂú tɕjɑ́ŋ]; Portuguese: Rio das Pérolas) or less commonly, the Guangdong River or Canton River, (Chinese: 粤江), is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi River ("West River"), the Bei River ("North River"), and the Dong River ("East River"). These rivers are all considered tributaries of the Pearl River because they share a common delta, the Pearl River Delta. Measured from the farthest reaches of the Xi Jiang, the Pearl River system is China's third longest river, 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi), after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and second largest by volume, after the Yangtze. The 409,480-square-kilometre (158,100 sq mi) Pearl River Basin (珠江流域) drains the majority of South Central, (Guangdong and Guangxi provinces), as well as parts of Southwest (Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces) in China, and Northeast of Vietnam (Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn).

As well as referring to the system as a whole, the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) name is also applied to a specific branch within the system. This Pearl River is the widest distributary within the delta, although considerably short. The waters that converge east of the Bei Jiang are first referred to as the Pearl River just north of Guangzhou. The Pearl River is famed as the river that flows through Guangzhou. The Pearl River's estuary, Bocca Tigris, is regularly dredged so as to keep it open for ocean vessels. The mouth of the Pearl River forms a large bay in the southeast of the delta, the Pearl River Estuary, the Bocca Tigris separates Shiziyang in the north, Lingdingyang in the south, and Jiuzhouyang at the southern tip of the estuary surrounded by the Wanshan Archipelago. This bay separates Macau and Zhuhai from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

The Pearl River is named this because of all the pearl colored shells that lie at the bottom of the river in the section that flows through the city of Guangzhou.

A 500 kV-power line, suspended from three of the tallest pylons in the world, the Pylons of Pearl River Crossing, crosses the river near its mouth.

Zhujiang Brewery, one of the three largest domestic breweries in China, is located on the Pearl River Delta within the city of Guangzhou.

Image gallery

• Xijiang Zhaoqing.JPG

  Looking over the Xi River ("West River") from Zhaoqing to Gaoyao

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  Pearl River at night, Guangzhou

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  Humen Pearl River Bridge viewed from Zhenyuan Fort

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  Zhuhai and Jiuzhou Islands, viewed from Yeli Island at Pearl River mouth

Settlements

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• Guilin
• Dongguan
• Foshan
• Zhuhai
• Panyu
• Zhongshan
• Guangzhou
• Hong Kong
• Macau

• Shenzhen
• Wuzhou
• Zhaoqing

Crossings

• Guangzhou Bridge
• Haiyin Bridge
• Haizhu Bridge
• Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (under construction)
• Huanan Bridge
• Humen Pearl River Bridge
• Hedong Bridge
• Huangpu Bridge
• Jiangwan Bridge
• Jiefang Bridge
• Pazhou Bridge
• Renmin Bridge
• Shiziyang Tunnel
• Xinguang Bridge
• Yajisha Bridge

Tributaries

• Bei (北江)
• Dong (东江)
• Han (韩江)
  • Mei (梅江)
    • Ning (宁江)
  • Ting (汀江)
  • Dajing (大靖河)
• Xi (西江)
  • Yu (鬱江)
    • Yong (邕江）
      • Zuo (左江)
      • You (右江)
  • Xun (浔江）
    • Qiang (黔江)
      • Rong（融江）
      • Hongshui (红水河）
        • Beipan (北盘江)
        • Nanpan (南盘江)
          • Ba (灞水 or 灞河)
  • Gui (桂江)
    • Li (漓江)

See also

• List of rivers in China
• Geography of China
• Ship lifts in China
• List of rivers of Hong Kong