Chinese Xi Jiang or Hsi Chiang English West River
River, southeastern China.
Known as the Hongshui in its upper course, the Xi proper begins in eastern Guangxi autonomous region and flows east through Guangdong province. It is about 1,200 mi (1,930 km) long, shorter than other important Chinese rivers, but its volume of flow is second only to that of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). It flows through the vast Pearl River delta into the South China Sea west of Hong Kong near Macau ; the city of Guangzhou (Canton) is in its delta. It is the great commercial waterway of southern China, linking the delta cities with the interior.