Han River (Guangdong)

Han River Hán Jiāng
Looking across the Han River from Chaozhou City.
Native name	韩江
Location
Country	China
Province	Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi
Cities	Meizhou, Chaozhou, Shantou
Physical characteristics
Source	Mount Qixingdong (Mei River)
• location	Zijin County, Guangdong
Mouth	South China Sea
• location	Shantou, Guangdong
Length	410 km (250 mi)[1]
Basin size	30,112 km2 (11,626 sq mi)[1]
Discharge
• average	870 m3/s (31,000 cu ft/s)[1]
• minimum	33 m3/s (1,200 cu ft/s)[1]
• maximum	13,300 m3/s (470,000 cu ft/s)[1]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Wuhua River, Ning River, Shiku River
• right	Ting River, Meitan River

The Han River (simplified Chinese: 韩江; traditional Chinese: 韓江; pinyin: Hán Jiāng) is a river in southeast China. It is located mainly in eastern Guangdong and has a total length of 410 kilometres (250 mi). The river is combined with two main tributary rivers, Mei River and Ting River, at Sanheba (三河坝), Dabu County.^[2] Han River flows south through the Han River Delta entering the South China Sea at Chenghai District and Longhu District of Shantou.^[1] The Teochew people refer to the river as "the Mother River".^[3]

The river is named after Han Yu, a writer, poet and government official of the Tang dynasty, in honor of his contribution to Chaoshan.^[4] It was originally named as E Xi (simplified Chinese: 恶溪; traditional Chinese: 惡溪; lit. 'ferocious river') before Han Yu's exile to Chaozhou. The river became calm under Han's river regulation project. To remember him, the locals rename the river to Han River after his departure.^[5]