Yangtze River

The Yangtze is China’s longest river, flowing about 6,300 kilometers from the Tibetan Plateau eastward to the East China Sea. Its basin supports major cities, agriculture, transport, and hydropower.

Jinsha River: The uppermost major section of the Yangtze, running through southwestern China before its name changes near Yibin. It carries the Yangtze’s headwaters across the highlands before the river enters Sichuan.
Yangtze River shipping: The movement of people and freight by vessel along the Yangtze and its navigable tributaries. Inland shipping connects cities and industrial regions along the river to coastal trade.
Qutang Gorge: The westernmost and narrowest of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze. Its dramatic cliffs made this stretch a conspicuous landmark on the river’s historic route.
Yangtze River flood: A high-water event in the Yangtze system that inundates land and can threaten lives and infrastructure. Seasonal monsoon rains can produce destructive floods across the densely settled basin.
Yellow River: A major northern Chinese river known for its sediment-laden waters and history of severe floods. Its contrasting northern basin has shaped Chinese agriculture and flood management differently.
Min River: A major tributary of the Yangtze that joins it at Yibin in Sichuan. Its confluence marks the point where the Jinsha is conventionally named the Yangtze.
Three Gorges Dam: A large hydroelectric dam across the Yangtze River in Hubei, China. The dam makes the river a major source of electricity and helps control some floods.
Ba people: An ancient people associated with the upper Yangtze region and the state of Ba. Their communities occupied parts of the river’s upper reaches before imperial unification.
Yangtze finless porpoise: A freshwater porpoise subspecies found in the Yangtze and nearby lakes. Its decline reflects pressures from shipping, fishing, dams, and habitat degradation.
Mekong: A major Southeast Asian river flowing through China and five downstream countries to the South China Sea. Like the Yangtze, it rises on the Tibetan Plateau and faces competing demands on water.

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