Min River | |
Map: | Fujian in China (+all claims hatched).svg |
Map Size: | 275px |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | China |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | Fujian |
Source1: | Futun |
Source1 Location: | Shaowu, Fujian |
Source1 Elevation: | 631m (2,070feet) |
Source2: | Shaxi |
Source2 Location: | Sanming, Fujian |
Source2 Elevation: | 557m (1,827feet) |
Source Confluence Location: | Nanping, Fujian |
Source Confluence Elevation: | 77m (253feet) |
Mouth: | Taiwan Strait |
Mouth Location: | Fuzhou, Fujian |
Mouth Elevation: | 0m (00feet) |
Length: | 505km (314miles) |
Discharge1 Avg: | 1980m3/s |
Basin Size: | 60922km2 |
Tributaries Left: | Renshou, Jianxi and tributaries |
Tributaries Right: | Xixi, Jinxi, Shaxi, Youxi, Dazhang |
T: | 閩江 |
S: | 闽江 |
P: | Mǐn jiāng |
J: | Man5 gong1 |
Poj: | Bân kang |
The Min River (Chinese: Mǐn Jiāng) is a -long river in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is the largest river in Fujian, and an important water transport channel. Most of northern and central Fujian is within its drainage area.
The provincial capital, Fuzhou, sits on the lower Min River, with its historic center being on the northern side of the river. Fuzhou's suburb Changle is on the other side of the river, even closer to its fall into the Taiwan Strait; the location historically made it an important port.
The traditional source of the Min River is in the far northwest of the basin, hence in China the highest reach is called the Beixi Brook. The total length of the river using this source is 505 km. But in fact, the Beixi is neither the geographic or hydrological source of the river. The Shuiqian is the furthest geographic source, and the Shuiqian-Shaxi-Min is 580 km long. A different river, the Jinxi, is larger than the Beixi-Futun at the point where the two meet, and consequently is connected to the hydrological source.
Fujian Local Records Compilation Committee. (2001). Fujian Provincial Chronicles: Topography. Fuzhou: Local Records Press