Its upper stretch near the Anhui– Jiangxi border is also known as the Xin'an River ( 新安, 'Newly Peaceful') its middle stretch through the mountains of Zhejiang is also known as the Fuchun River ( 富春江, 'Abundant Spring River') and the former name of its lower stretch-the Zhe ( 浙) or Crooked River-gave Zhejiang Province its name.

The river is also known, along with Hangzhou Bay, for having what is called by locals as the 'Silver Dragon', the world's largest tidal bore, a phenomenon where leading edge of the incoming tide form a wave (or waves) that can rise to a height of 9 meters (30 ft) and travels up the river or narrow bay at top speeds of 40 km/h (25 miles per hour) against the direction of the river or bay's current, and can be seen from miles away. Its original name, the 'Zhe River' or 'Zhe Jiang', is the origin of the name of Zhejiang province. An important commercial artery, it runs for 459 kilometers (285 mi) through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial capital Hangzhou before flowing into the East China Sea via Hangzhou Bay south of Shanghai. The Qiantang River, formerly known as the Hangchow River or Tsientang River, is a river in East China. Map of the Qiantang watershed basin, in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi The Liuhe Pagoda built in 1165 on the Yuelun Hill in Hangzhou during the Song dynasty faces the Qiantang River.

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