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Why is freight traffic on the Fen River limited?

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Fogong Temple: timber pagoda — Shanxi Timber pagoda of the Fogong Temple, 1056, Song dynasty; at Yingxian, Shanxi province, China.

Freight traffic on the Fen River is limited because the river features a torrential course characterized by steep gradients and rapids. Consequently, it has never served as a useful waterway for significant transport, except in its lower reaches.1

Navigation is restricted to small craft, which can travel as far as Linfen, while junk traffic is only possible as far as Quwu.1