The Liuyang River (Liúyáng Hé) is a real river in Hunan Province, China, flowing through the city of Liuyang and into the Xiang River. Its name combines three characters: 浏 (liú), a proper noun component historically tied to the region; 阳 (yáng), meaning 'sunny' or 'south-facing'—a common element in Chinese place names referring to the sunny (south) bank of a river; and 河 (hé), meaning 'river'. Together, they form a geographical proper noun.

This river is especially famous due to the beloved folk song 'Liuyang River', composed in the 1950s, which praises its beauty and symbolizes hometown affection and revolutionary optimism. As a result, the term often evokes cultural nostalgia and regional pride—not just hydrology. It appears in literature, music, tourism promotions, and local identity discourse, but is rarely used in technical or scientific contexts without cultural framing.