It derives from Wutai Mountain in Shanxi province and flows through the Taihang Mountains to reach the North China Plain, and meets the Ziya River near the Xian County of the Hebei province, finally meeting the Bohai Bay close to the Haibin and Gangxi residential areas, approximately 50 km south of Tianjin's centre.

Other notable areas where it flows through are the city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province.

The total length of Hutuo River is about 587 km and the watershed area is about 27300 km².

The sect was created by the Chan Buddhist monk Linji Yixuan, who joined the temple around 851.

[3] The Hutuo river is called Koda by Japanese adepts of the Linji school.