The Furong River (), also known as the

Pangu Pangu (, ) is a primordial being and creation figure in Chinese mythology who separated heaven and earth and became geographic features such as mountains and rivers. Legends The first writer to record the myth of Pangu was Xu Zheng during t ...

River (盘古河) is the largest tributary of the Wu River and flows through

Guizhou Province Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...

and

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

Municipality, People's Republic of China.

Description

Rising in the

Dalou Mountains The Dalou Mountains (} are a range of limestone mountains running north east to south west across the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau spanning Guizhou and Sichuan Provinces, People's Republic of China. At , Mount Jinfo (金佛山) in Nanchuan District, C ...

Suiyang County Suiyang County () is a county in Guizhou Province, China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Zunyi. It has an area of 2,566 square kilometers and a population of 560,000 as of 2017. Suiyang leaf-litter toad, ''Leptobrache ...

, Guizhou Province, the river flows from the south west northeast to Chongqing where it joins the Wu River at Jiangkou Town (江口镇) in

Wulong County Wulong District () is a district of Chongqing Municipality, China, bordering Guizhou province to the south. Administration Climate Education There is a central elementary school in Baiyun Town. Transportation The district is served by C ...

. For 87% of its length it flows within the borders of Guizhou with the remainder in Chongqing. The Furong River has a natural drop of and a total

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

covering . With its relatively sparse human population, the typical

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

topology drainage basin is well preserved whilst original vegetation remains intact on both sides of the river's "V" shaped canyon. The Furong River National Park (芙蓉江风景名胜区) extends for from Jiangkou Town and encompasses of the original canyon. In 2002, the Chinese State Council listed the area as a

National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

then in 2007 a section of the river became part of the

South China Karst The South China Karst (), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2007, spans the provinces of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. It is noted for its karst features and landscapes as well as rich biodiversity. The site comprises seven clust ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. In 1991, a plan was announced for the development of a series of ten

hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

s on the Furong River at Zhulao Village (朱老村), Niandu (牛都), Tian Embankment (田坝), Liangtan (良坎), Shaqian (沙阡), Yutang (鱼塘), Shimenkan (石门坎), Haokou (浩口) and

Jiangkou Reservoir The Jiangkou Reservoir () is a large scale reservoir in Wulong County, Chongqing Municipality, People's Republic of China constructed for the primary purpose of generating hydroelectricity. Built at a cost of 1.95 billion RMB, the reservoir's c ...

References

{{reflist Rivers of Guizhou Rivers of Chongqing