During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the river flowing near Guangzhou was named according to its direction, so it was called Xijiang, and the Xijiang River at that time referred to the section from Wuzhou to Sixiangli, and only recently did the source of the river to Sixian be called the main stream of the Xijiang River. The length of the river is 2075 kilometers, the area of the river basin is 353120 square kilometers, and the average slope drop is 0.58%.
Xijiang
The sections of the Xijiang River from the upper source to the lower reaches are also called by other names. From Heyuan to Cane Xiang Shuangjiangkou (Guizhou) called Nanpanjiang, Shuangjiangkou to Xiangzhou Sanjiangkou (Guangxi) called Hongshui River, Sanjiangkou to Guiping Guangxi) called Qianjiang, Guiping to Wuzhou (Guangxi) called Xunjiang, Wuzhou to Sixianluo (Guangdong) is called Xijiang.
1. The upper reaches of the Xijiang River
From the source of the river to the mouth of the three rivers is the upper reaches of the Xijiang River, including the two sections of the Nanpan River and the Hongshui River, with a length of 1,573 kilometers and a section area of 138,340 square kilometers, accounting for 39.18% of the total area above Sixiange, and the average ratio of river courses decreased by 0.85%.
Shangyuan Nanpan River, originating from Maxiong Mountain in the Wumeng Mountains of Zanyi County, Yunnan Province, with an altitude of 2444 meters, the river runs between the plateau basin and the terrain between the canyon, the river channel is deeply cut, and the river width is 50-100 meters.
Nanpan River Yunnan Kaiyuan section
Within the 190-kilometer-long stretch of the river above cane incense, there are 91 rapids such as the famous Lei Gong Beach, and the river is also connected to natural lakes.
Nine of the larger lakes have disappeared and are disappearing, and the remaining seven are: Yangzonghai, Fuxian Lake, Xingyun Lake, Qilu Lake, Yilong Lake, Datunhai and Changqiao Sea. The total water surface area is 380 square kilometers, the total volume is 19.7 billion cubic meters, of which Fuxian Lake has an area of 222 square kilometers, a volume of 18.5 billion cubic meters, a water depth of 80~90 meters, and a deepest point of 155 meters, which is the second largest deep-water lake in the mainland.
Fuxian Lake, Yunnan
Nanpan River and Beipan River confluence is called Hongshui River, after the river passes through the alpine valley, the river valley widens to 200 meters, the river is still a lot of sharp beach plunge, the river bank is steep, the river is deep, the flood period is generally more than 30 meters, the dry period is also 20 meters, the river water content is relatively high. There are many tributaries on both sides of the bank and relatively short, and the larger tributaries are the Bulyu River and the Diao River.
2. The middle reaches of the Xijiang River
From Sanjiangkou to Wuzhou is the middle reaches of the Xijiang River, including the Qianjiang section and the Xunjiang section. It is 294 kilometers long and has a section area of 170,920 square kilometers, accounting for 48.4% of the total area above Sixianluo, and the river channel ratio is 0.09%.
Dateng Gorge Water Conservancy Hub
The section of the river from Shilong in Xiangzhou County, Guangxi to Guiping County is called the Qianjiang River, passing through the famous Huangmao Gorge and Dateng Gorge, of which Dateng Gorge is 44 kilometers long, and the water in the river is rapid, and the deepest part is 85 meters when it is dry, which is the deepest part of the main stream of the Xijiang River. Other river valleys are relatively open, with flatter banks, concentrated arable land and dense population.
From Guiping County to Wuzhou City, it is called the Xun River, and there are low mountains, hills and flat land on both sides. In the Longtan Gorge from Wulin to Wuzhou, the dry water level river is only 340 meters wide. The Sihua Chau River is 2,660 meters wide, and dikes have been built on both sides to resist the destruction of cultivated land on both sides in the event of flooding. The main tributaries are the Liujiang, Yujiang, Mengjiang and Beiliu Rivers.
Wuzhou
3. Lower reaches of the Xijiang River
Wuzhou to Sixianluo is downstream, the river length is 208 kilometers, the area of the interval is 43860 square kilometers, accounting for 12.42% of the total area, the average ratio of the river is 0.09%, the river width and water depth, width 700-2000 meters, in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province there are the Three Rong Gorge and the Antelope Gorge, the river width is 300-370 meters, the length of the gorge is 5, 5 and 7.5 kilometers, and the water depth is 78 meters and 83 meters respectively.
Zhaoqing
There are almost no dangerous beaches downstream, and it is an excellent perennial navigable river. The larger tributaries are the Guijiang, Hejiang and Luoding rivers.
The Xijiang River flows further east into the delta. There are 57 tributaries with a basin area of more than 1,000 square kilometers, of which 8 are larger than 10,000 square kilometers. Many rivers flow into the delta, so the upper rivers of the delta are crisscrossed and communicate with each other, and each river enters the South China Sea through eight gates, including Humen, Hengmen, Modaomen and Yamen.
Pearl river delta
4. The main tributaries of the Xijiang River
Among the tributaries of the Xijiang River, the Yujiang River is the largest, with a basin area of 89,870 square kilometers, of which 78,280 square kilometers are in the mainland, the length of the river is 1,145 square kilometers, and the average ratio of river courses is 0.33%.
The Yujiang River originates in Jiulong Mountain, Guangnan County, Yunnan Province, and its upper source is called the Luniang River, flowing from northwest to southeast, flowing into the Xun River in Guiping County, and its tributary Zuo River originates in Vietnam.
Guangxi Liujing Yujiang Bridge
Beipan River is the largest tributary in the upper reaches, originating from the north slope of Maxiong Mountain in Yunnan Province, with a basin area of 26,590 square kilometers, a river length of 444 kilometers, an average ratio of 2.8% lower than the river, the river passes through alpine valleys, and the river valley is generally only 200~400 meters wide, which is the largest slope in the tributaries of the Xijiang River. The tributary Dabang River has the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall, which is 67 meters high and 84 meters wide, which is majestic.
Huangguoshu Waterfall
Guijiang River is a very scenic river, originating from Miaoer Mountain, Xing'an County, Guangxi, with a basin area of 18,790 square kilometers, a total length of 438 kilometers, Guilin to Yangshuo 86 kilometers, is a key tourist area in the mainland, the river flows roughly from north to south, passing through flat dams, canyons, curved river channels, many reefs and beaches, and finally enters the Xijiang River in Wuzhou City.
Guilin section of the Li River
(Image from the Internet)