The Qiantang River or Qian River is an East Chinese river that originates in the border region of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. Its upper stretch is called the Xin'an River, and the middle stretch the Fuchun River . An important commercial artery, it runs for through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial capital Hangzhou before flowing into the East China Sea via Hangzhou Bay. The river was the southern terminus of the ancient Grand Canal that links five major rivers in China from north to south, and enables water-borne traffic to travel inland from Hangzhou as far north as Beijing.