The Hulan rises in the Lesser Khingan mountains, south of Yichun (47°13′12″N 128°34′35″E / 47.21995°N 128.57644°E / 47.21995; 128.57644).
The river meanders extensively across the Northeast China Plain, creating many bifurcations and oxbow lakes.
After a comprehensive management plan for the river basin was implemented in the 1950s, it became a center of production for grain, flax, and sugar beet.
Other tributaries include the Yijimi, Ougen, Liu, Gemuke, Nuomin, Ni, and Tongken Rivers.
On 1 April 2020, the river suffered pollution from Molybdenum and related refining materials, from a smelter in Yichun.