The Yangtze River (or Changjiang in Chinese), over 6,300 kilometers long, is the largest and longest river in China, and the third-longest in the world, next only to the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America.
The source of the Yangtze River lies to the west of Geladandong Mountain, the principal peak of the Tanggula Mountain chain in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, southwest of China.
The most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges, Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as the Three Gorges.
The river flows from west to east through provinces of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu as well as the city of Shanghai, finally emptying into the East China Sea. With plenty of rainfall all year round, the Yangtze River is named the golden watercourse.
Acting as the largest water system in China, Yangtze River is historically, economically and culturally important to the country. It has numerous tributaries including Min River, Han River, Jialing River, Gan River and Huangpu River etc. The Three Gorges Dam on the river is the largest dam project and hydro-electric power station in the world. Generally, people consider the Yangtze River a dividing line between North China and South China. Areas to the north and the south of the river have many differences in climate, scenery, economics, culture and folk customs.
Popular Yangtze River cruise routes include between Shanghai and Chongqing, Shanghai and Yichang, and Chongqing and Yichang.
