The Han River, also known by its Chinese names Hanshui and Hanjiang, is a major river in Central China. A left tributary of the Yangtze, the longest river in Asia, it has a length of and is the longest tributary of the Yangtze system.
The river gave its name to the ancient Chinese Han dynasty, which marked one of ancient China's first golden ages and through it, to the Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in modern China and the most populous ethnic group in the world. It is also the namesake of the city of Hanzhong on its upper course.
Geography
The headwaters of the Han flow from Mount Bozhong in southwestern Shaanxi. It is also considered part of the dividing line between northern and southern China.