Huangpu River is a branch of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It lies in Shanghai City, formerly known as Huangxiepu or Chunshen River. It takes its rise from the Tai Lake, runs eastwards through the Dianshan Lake in Qingpu County and then flows to Minhang District in Shanghai. At the Baidu Bridge in the center of Shanghai City, Huangpu River flows together with the Wusong River (i.e. Suzhou River) and finally flows into the East China Sea.

The Huangpu River wriggles like an undulating dragon from Wusong to the East Sea. The yellow and ice-free river is 114 kilometers (about 71 miles) long and 400 meters (0.25 miles) wide with an average depth of nine meters (30 feet). It joins 29 kilometers (18 miles) north of downtown Shanghai and divides Shanghai into two parts, east and west. Shanghainese call them Pudong and Puxi.

The Huangpu River is a multi-functional river with the values of drinking water, shipping, fishery, flood discharge, tourism and many other aspects. The famous Shanghai Port is situated on this river. In the past several decades, Shanghai Port has been developed to be the port with the largest throughput in China.

The Huangpu River is not only the mother river of Shanghai, but also assembles the splendid tourist attractions of the city. In Shanghai, the Huangpu River cruise is a traditional tourist program. Cruises are available everyday, including the shorter cruises (navigating the main waterfront area between the Yangpu Bridge and the Nanpu Bridge) and the complete cruises (meandering eastward along the golden waterway, over a distance of 60 kilometers or 37 miles). The cruise starts from the Bund and goes upstream. Towards the south, it takes you to look at the Nanpu Bridge, and then turns round to the north to go to the Yangpu Bridge and finally reaches Wusong Mouth (Wusongkou), which is an inlet of the sea that the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River flow into. When flood tide happens, you can see the marvelous spectacle of 'Three Waters Mingle Together' ? blue-grey water from the Huangpu River, blue colored water from the East China Sea and yellow colored water with silt from the Yangtze River. The famous Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which is the tallest TV tower in Asia and the third highest in the world, just stands between the Yangpu and Nanpu bridges. This forms a very beautiful picture about 'Two Dragons Playing Ball'.

During the cruise, you can find the obvious differences of architecture between the east bank and the west bank. On the west bank, a lot of western-style buildings can be seen, full of exotic flavor, while on the east bank, rows of skyscrapers spring up and rise above the clouds. Whether it is in the daytime or at night, the views along the river are the same beautiful. The great modern skyscrapers and the characteristic buildings in different architectural styles are the best records of the development of the city and the Huangpu River, the birthplace of Shanghai, is the faithful eyewitness.