Fen River

Fen River

River, Shanxi province, northern China. After rising in the Guancen Mountains in northwestern Shanxi, it flows southeast to Taiyuan and then southwest through the central valley of Shanxi to join the Huang near Hejin. Its total length is about 340 mi (550 km). With a torrential course and steep gradients, it is a useful waterway only in its lower reaches. Its valley was an early center of civilization and has remained an important route, linking the Beijing area with the strategically vital Shanxi province and the major land routes to Central Asia.