YUAN RIVER

Wade-Giles romanization Yan Chiang, Pinyin Yuan Jiang, conventional Yan Kiang river of eastern Kweichow and western Hunan provinces, southeast China. The Yan River is about 500 miles (800 km) long and rises in the Miao Mountains near Tu-yn in Kweichow. Its upper stream is called the Lung-t'ou River, and downstream it is called the Ch'ing-shui River. It becomes the Yan River after its confluence with its northern tributary, the Wu River, which flows through Chih-chiang. It then flows northeast along the western flank of the Hseh-feng Mountains in Hunan to discharge into the Tung-t'ing Lake at Ch'ang-te and thence into the Yangtze River. The Yan River is a major waterway for western Hunan and eastern Kweichow. Large vessels on it can reach Ch'ang-te, and small steamboats can travel as far as T'ao-yan. Above this there are rapids, but shallow-draft junks can reach Hung-chiang near the Kweichow border and can travel up the Wu River as far as Chih-chiang. Although there are highways using the Yan River valley, the river is still the chief means of transport for the mountainous areas of western Hunan.