Xi River

The Xi River (/ʃiː/;[2] Chinese: 西江) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It then flows east through Guangdong, and enters the Pearl River Delta just east of the Lingyang Gorge in Zhaoqing. The main branch of the Xi River flows southeast through the delta entering the South China Sea at Modao Men, just west of Macau. The major cities along the Xi include Wuzhou, Zhaoqing, and Jiangmen.

For other uses, see Xijiang (disambiguation).
Xi Jiang
Looking across the Xi River from Heshan to Jiujiang, Foshan City.
The Pearl River system including the Xi River
Location
CountryChina and Vietnam
Physical characteristics
Source 
 ⁃ locationGui Jiang and Xun Jiang in Wuzhou
Mouth 
 ⁃ location
The Pearl River Delta on the South China Sea
Discharge 
 ⁃ average7,410 m3/s (262,000 cu ft/s)[1]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 ⁃ leftHe Jiang
Marble Hill (Cockscomb Rock) on the West River, around 1871
Xi River
Chinese西江
JyutpingSai1 gong1
Hanyu PinyinXī Jiāng
PostalWest River
Literal meaningWest River

The other two main tributaries of Pearl River are the Dong River (literally, the East River) and Bei River (the Northern River).

The Xi River is navigable for its entire length. It is a commercial waterway of southern China, and links the delta cities to the interior. Over two thousand years ago, the Lingqu Canal was dug, connecting the Xi River basin (the Li River, which is a tributary of the Gui River) with the Xiang River, which flows into the Yangtze, thus providing a continuous waterway from the Pearl River Delta to the Yangtze Valley.

The Xi River is the largest of the Pearl's tributaries. Its volume of flow is second in China only to that of the Yangtze River, and it supplies water to many places in Guangxi, Guangdong and Macau. The greater Xi River is also one of China's longest. Existing in many segments it extends for 2,271.8 km (1,411.6 mi):

  • Nanpan River: 950 km (590 mi)
  • Hongshui River: 669.6 km (416.1 mi)
  • Qian River: 121.0 km (75.2 mi)
  • Xun River: 172.2 km (107.0 mi)
  • Xi River (including main branch to the sea): 359.0 km (223.1 mi)

Other transliterations of the river's name include Hsi River and Hsi Chiang.

Xi River system
Xijiang river system (italics referring to rivers flowing outside of Guangxi)
Fuchuan (富川江)He (贺江)Xi (西江)
Li (漓江)Gui (桂江)
Beipan River (北盘江)Hongshui (红水河)Qian (黔江)Xun (浔江)
Nanpan River (南盘江)
Rong (融江)Liu (柳江)
Long (龙江)
You (右江)Yong (邕江)Yu (郁江)
Zuo (左江)

Major cities along the river

References
  1. http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_5/GEO_PLATE_D-6.shtml
  2. "Xi". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.

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