The Zhu Jiang, (Chinese: 珠江 Pinyin: Zhū Jiāng), or Pearl River, is China's third longest river (2,200 km, after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River), and second largest by volume (after the Yangtze). Located in the south, it flows into the South China Sea between Hong Kong and Macau. Its lower reach forms the Pearl River Delta.
The Pearl is also known as Yue Jiang (粵江 "Guangdong River"). It is named after a sandy or stony island in the middle of the river called Sea Pearl (海珠). This island is now in the bank, due to the river's change of course.
It is formed by convergence of the Xi Jiang ("the West River"), the Bei Jiang ("the North River"), and the Dong Jiang ("the East River") . The river flows through the majority of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou Provinces, and parts of Hunan and Jiangxi, forming the 409,480 km² Pearl River Basin (珠江流域).
A 500 kV-power line, suspended from three of the tallest pylons in the world, the Pylons of Pearl River Crossing, crosses the river near its mouth.
Zhujiang Brewery, one of the three largest domestic breweries in China, is located on the Pearl River Delta within the city of Guangzhou.
The estuary, Bocca Tigris, is regularly dredged so as to keep it open for ocean vessels.