Han River

River, east-central China.

A principal tributary of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), it has a total length of about 750 mi (1,200 km). It rises in the mountains in southwestern Shaanxi province; known by various names in its upper course, it becomes the Han at Hanzhong and flows through a fertile basin some 60 mi (100 km) long and 12 mi (19 km) wide, then cuts through a series of deep gorges and emerges into the central Yangtze basin in Hubei province. Its lower course forms a dense network of water transport covering the southern part of the North China Plain.

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▪ river, Guangdong province, China

Chinese (Pinyin)  Han Jiang , or  (Wade-Giles romanization)  Han Chiang 

      river in eastern Guangdong province, china. The Han River rises in the Wuyi Mountains in southwest Fujian province to the north of Changting. Its upper course is known as the Ting River, and it flows south to Fengshi, below which it is joined by the Yongding River. Flowing south over the border into Guangdong province, it is joined at Sanheba by its principal tributary, the Mei River, which drains an extensive area in northeastern Guangdong between the Dawan and Lianhua ranges, and another eastern tributary, the Daqing River, which drains a small basin to southern Fujian on the west of the Boping range. The Han River then flows south to empty into the sea through an extensive delta plain below Chao'an, with Shantou at its southwestern corner.

      The Han forms an important local waterway. While the outlet channels in the delta are shallow and blocked by sandbanks and mudflats, above Chao'an small steamboats and junks can reach Sanheba and, on the Mei River, can sail as far as Meixian. The upper course can be used by small craft as far as Changting.

▪ river, Shaanxi and Hubei provinces, China

Chinese (Pinyin and Wade-Giles romanization)  Han Shui  

      one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) of china. It has a total length of about 950 miles (1,530 km). The Han River rises in the Shenqiong Mountains, part of the Micang Mountains in the extreme southwestern part of Shaanxi (Shensi) province. Its upper stream is known successively as the Yudai, the Yang, and, below Mianxian, the Mian. At Hanzhong it becomes the Han River. It flows eastward at the foot of the Qin (Tsinling) Mountains (Qin Mountains), receiving from the north various tributaries (of which the Xun River is the largest) and a large number of north-flowing tributaries arising in the Daba Mountains to the south. This upper valley of the Han River is mostly rugged and mountainous, but around Hanzhong is a fertile alluvial basin some 60 miles (100 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. Below Ankang the river cuts through a series of deep gorges and emerges eventually into the central Yangtze basin at Guanghua (Laohekou) above Yunxian in Hubei (Hupeh) province.

      The lower course of the Han River flows through a rich lowland. The course changes frequently, and the area is so flat that a small change in the level of the river may inundate a considerable area, and extensive dikes are required. Above Xiangfan at Jun Xian, where the Han receives the Dan River, a dam completed in 1970 stabilizes the water flow, prevents flooding, extends the range of navigation, and permits irrigation. Several hydroelectric generators are also in operation on the site. Farther downstream at Xiangfan the river receives its largest tributary, the Baishui River. In the 1950s, in order to prevent flooding, a large retention basin was built at the confluence with the Baishui to accumulate floodwaters and to regulate the flow of the Han itself; four extensive irrigation projects were also built in the area.

      Below Xiangfan the Han meanders south and then turns eastward to join the Yangtze at Wuhan. In this lower course much of the river's water is dispersed into the innumerable creeks and lakes of the southern section of the North China Plain. Toward its junction with the Yangtze, the river narrows sharply. That area, too, has been prone to frequent and disastrous flooding, and, to prevent this, in 1954 a second retention basin was built south of the junction with the Yangtze.

      The Han River is an important waterway. The lower course of the river, with its innumerable small waterways and canals, forms the spine of a dense network of water transport covering the whole southern part of the North China Plain; junks can travel from Jingzhou to Wuhan by these waterways—a much shorter distance than along the main stream of the Yangtze.

▪ river, South Korea

Korean  Han-gang 

      river, northern South Korea, rising in the western slopes of the T'aebaek-sanmaek (mountains) and flowing generally westward across the peninsula through the provinces of Kangwŏn, Kyŏnggi, and North Ch'ungch'ŏng and through the city of Seoul to the Yellow Sea. Of its 319-mile (514-kilometre) length, 200 miles (320 km) are navigable, and it has been a valuable river transportation route since ancient times, particularly during the Yi dynasty (1392–1910). Various agricultural products are grown in its 10,000-square-mile (26,000-square-kilometre) drainage basin. There are several islands in the lower course of the river, such as Yŏi-do, located within the city limits of Seoul. The Han supplies the cities along its course with water for industrial and general use. The river's upper course, in the mountains, is used to generate hydroelectric power. In the 1970s three additional multipurpose dams were built at Yŏngwŏl, Tanyang, and Yŏju.

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