Xi River system

Xi River system, system of rivers that combine to form the longest river of southern China. Together with its upper-course streams, the Xi River flows generally eastward for 1,216 miles (1,957 km) from the highlands of Yunnan province to the South China Sea and drains—along with the Bei, Dong, and Pearl (Zhu) rivers—a basin with an area of 173,000 square miles (448,000 square km). The Xi is shorter than the other important Chinese rivers—the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and the Huang He (Yellow River)—but it delivers an enormous quantity of water, and its volume of flow is second only to that of the Yangtze. The name Xi River is more narrowly applied only to its lower course.

Land

The Xi itself drains an area of about 127,000 square miles (329,000 square km) of southern China and northern Vietnam. More than half of the river’s basin is mountainous and lies between 1,650 and 9,900 feet (500 and 3,000 metres) above sea level; more than two-fifths of the rest of the basin is occupied by hills between 330 and 1,650 feet (100 and 500 metres) high. The lowlands of the river’s delta account for only a tiny fraction of the total drainage area. Most of the mountains and hills in the basin are composed of limestone, and the river has cut a cavernous valley through them. The riverbed is broken by rapids and gorges, and its walls are often high and steep. The landscape is of the type known as karst, in which the limestone rocks are honeycombed with tunnels and openings so that much of the drainage runs underground, and deep sinkholes abound.

The Xi’s main headstream is generally considered to be the Nanpan River, which rises in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau at an elevation of about 6,900 feet (2,100 metres). The Nanpan drops about 5,900 feet (1,800 metres) in the first 530 miles (850 km) of its course and flows in a southeasterly direction through Yunnan province. It then forms part of the border between Guizhou province and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi for a distance of about 535 miles (860 km).

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Southeast of the town of Ceheng, the river receives the Beipan River and is then known as the Hongshui River. This section of the river flows about 400 miles (640 km) through a narrow valley with high, mountainous banks that tower about 850 feet (260 metres) above the riverbed. The bed—between 165 and 1,000 feet (50 and 300 metres) wide—is broken by rocky rapids that are less than 3 feet (1 metre) deep and difficult to navigate. For the first 75 miles (120 km) of its course, the Hongshui continues to form part of the Guizhou-Guangxi border, flowing in an easterly direction until just before it reaches the town of Tian’e, where it makes a great bend to the south and flows through Guangxi. At Gongchuan it turns northward and then resumes its easterly direction.

At Shilong the river receives the Liu River, its major left- (north-) bank tributary, and is then called the Qian River. This section of the river is the shortest, no more than 75 miles (120 km) long, and the river drops about 50 feet (15 metres) in this distance. The channel grows dramatically, occasionally achieving depths of 280 feet (85 metres). For almost half its length, the Qian flows through the narrow, rock-strewn Dateng Gorge between the cities of Wuxuan and Guiping.

At the end of this section, the river receives its major right- (south-) bank tributary, the Yu River, and is then called the Xun River. The Yu River rises in southeastern Yunnan province and flows about 400 miles (750 km) eastward in Guangxi to the point at Guiping where it joins the Xian to form the Xun River. The Xun flows for about 120 miles (190 km) in an easterly direction, dropping a further 55 feet (17 metres) and receiving the Beilu River on the right bank at Tengxian and the Gui River on the left bank at Wuzhou (Cangwu) on the border with Guangdong province.

Below Wuzhou, where it enters Guangdong, the river becomes known as the Xi. Its valley consists of a series of winding gorges and wide hollows. The Sanrong and Lingyang gorges narrow to widths of 230 to 260 feet (70 to 80 metres) and are about 250 feet (75 metres) deep. Throughout its 130-mile (210-km) length the Xi drops only about 30 feet (10 metres), flowing to the east until it joins the Bei River at Sanshui. It then turns south through the vast Pearl River Delta before emptying into the South China Sea west of Macau.

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The Pearl River Delta is formed by three main rivers—the Xi, the Bei, and the Dong. At Sanshui the Xi and Bei are linked by a short channel but then divide. The larger branch, the Xi, bends to the south and forms the western border of the delta, while a lesser branch, the Foshan, flows eastward into the delta itself. The Dong flows from the east and enters the delta’s main channel, the Pearl River, just below Guangzhou (Canton). The Pearl River itself begins just below Guangzhou; Hong Kong is to the east and Macau to the west of the entrance to the Pearl River estuary, which is about 18 miles (29 km) wide.

Covering an area of about 1,500 square miles (3,900 square km) in southeastern Guangdong province, the delta is a complex network of river branches and channels divided by islands of alluvial soil and by hills that were once coastal islands. The fertile islands are only slightly above sea level and are protected from the sea by a system of flood dikes.

The Xi River’s rate of flow more than doubles in the summer season. Most of the increased flow results from the summer monsoon rains, when torrential floods may occur and frequently do cause catastrophic damage. The river is at its lowest during the dry winter period. Fluctuations in the water level during the year may vary by as much as 80 feet (25 metres) at Wuzhou; in the lower course and the delta, variations in the level are smaller. Especially dangerous are the delta floods that result from a combination of flooding rivers and high tides.

People and economy

Throughout the mountainous part of its course, the river has little relationship to the peoples who live in its vicinity. Most settlement occurs on small plots of land between mountains. The villages are isolated, compact agricultural units. River towns become more frequent in the hilly part of the Guangxi region, where the river is an artery of commerce; towns include Gongchuan, Qianjiang, Laibin, Guiping, Tengxian, and Wuzhou.

The Pearl River Delta is one of the most densely populated areas of China. The entire region is intensively cultivated. Rice is the most important crop, but wheat, corn (maize), sorghum, beans, and potatoes are also grown in the cooler, drier climate of the west. An intricate irrigation system includes more than 1,200 miles (1,900 km) of flood dikes. The delta’s many channels are vital to Guangzhou’s international commerce, as well as to trade with the interior.

Forests cover much of the mountainous region of the Xi River basin, especially in the north and west, the stretch along the border of Guizhou province being the most heavily forested. The more important tree species economically are pine, fir, camphor, tung, and bamboo. In the eastern part of the basin—notably in the low places of the maritime zone and in the valleys—the land is mostly cleared for cultivating crops, including rice, peanuts (groundnuts), sugarcane, hemp, tobacco, and fruit. The river contains an abundance of freshwater fish, and the waters of the Pearl River Delta are in some cases enclosed with bamboo fences and used for fish farming.

The Xi River is the great commercial waterway of South China, linking Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macau, and other delta centres with Wuzhou and the interior. In flood time, the river is navigable for vessels drawing 16 feet (5 metres) as far upstream as Wuzhou. The Xi basin contains more than 9,000 miles (14,500 km) of water routes, of which more than 6,800 miles (11,000 km) are in use. Steamships can sail along more than one-third of the total length of the waterways, while junks and small craft ply all the navigable waters. The water routes do not form an integrated system, however. Guangzhou, the largest city in the basin, does not have direct access to either the Xi or the Bei. The channels that connect the city to the water routes of the basin are winding and mud-filled and are navigable only by shallow-draft boats. Because most of the river branches of the delta are shallow, oceangoing vessels cannot reach Guangzhou but must dock at Huangpu (Whampoa), 10 miles (16 km) downstream. Navigation is hampered by low water on many tributaries and by rapids on some sections of the river system. In several places, as on the Yu River, river craft are pulled over the rapids with hand-worked windlasses. During low-water periods, transportation ceases on some rivers, including the Dong and the Bei.