The river leaves Dian Lake near Haikou Subdistrict (海口街道) in Xishan District, Kunming, in the southwestern part of the lake.

The outlet of the lake is called the Tanglang River (Chinese: 螳螂江; pinyin: Tángláng Jiāng).

It joins the Jinsha River, one of the main tributaries of the Yangtze, in the northeastern part of Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County.

[1] The name Pudu (普渡) is a slogan from Buddhism Classics, literally meaning "helping people get out of sorrows and troubles".

Some people also believe that "Pudu" actually refers to "a ferry ran by Pu's family".