Yangtze River
The course of the Yangtze River through China
Basin countries	China
Length	6,300 km (3,915 mi)[1]
Source elevation	5,042 m (16,542 ft)
Avg. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National discharge	31,900 m³/s (1,127,000 ft³/s)
Basin area	1,800,000 km² (695,000 mi²)

The Yangtze River or Chang Jiang (simplified Chinese: 长江; traditional Chinese: 長江; pinyin: Cháng Jiāng) is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, after the Nile in Africa, and the Amazon in South America. In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River The Amazon River (Rio Amazonas Río Amazonas of South America is the largest river in the world by volume with a total river flow greater than the next top ten largest rivers South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The river is about 6,300 km long and flows from its source in Qinghai Province, eastwards into the East China Sea at Shanghai. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. The East China Sea is a Marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1249000 km² Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million It has traditionally been considered a dividing line between North and South China, although geographers consider the Qinling-Huai River line to be the official line of geographical division. Alternative meaning In Geology, North China (continent and South China (continent were two ancient landmasses that correspond to modern northern The Qinling Mountains ( are a major Mountain range located mainly in the Eastern province of Shaanxi, in China. The Huai River ( is a major river in China. The Huai River is located about mid-way between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two largest rivers As the largest river in the region, the Yangtze is historically, culturally, and economically important to China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

The first turn of the Yangtze at Shigu (石鼓), Yunnan Province, where the river turns 180 degrees from south- to north-bound.

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Mojibake is the happenstance of incorrect unreadable characters (garbage characters shown when Computer software fails to render a text correctly according to its associated A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese (

The name Yangtze River, as well as various similar names such as Yangtse River, Yangzi River, Yangtze Kiang etc. , is derived from Yangzi Jiang (simplified Chinese: 扬子江; traditional Chinese: 揚子江; pinyin: Yángzǐ Jiāng) listen (help·info), which, beginning in the Sui Dynasty, was the Chinese name for the river in its lower reaches, specifically, the stretch between Yangzhou (扬州) and Zhenjiang (镇江). Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use The Sui Dynasty ( 581 - 618 AD and in the undertaking of other construction projects including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. Administration The Prefecture-level city of Yangzhou administers 7 county-level divisions. Administration The Prefecture-level city of Zhenjiang administers 6 county-level divisions, including 3 districts and 3 county-level cities The name derives from the ancient ferry crossing Yangzi Jin (扬子津, meaning "Yangzi Crossing"). From the Ming dynasty, the name was sometimes written 洋子 (yángzĭ). Because it was the name first heard by missionaries and traders, this name was applied in English to the entire river. In Chinese, Yangzi Jiang is considered a historical or poetic name for the river. The modern Chinese name, Chang Jiang (长江/長江 Cháng Jiāng), literally means "long river" and may sometimes also be used in English.

Like many rivers, the river is known by different names over its course. At its source it is called in Chinese the Dangqu (当曲, from the Tibetan for "marsh river"). Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas Downstream it is called the Tuotuo River (沱沱河) and then the Tongtian River (通天河, literally "pass to heaven river"). The Tongtian River is one of the five large rivers in the Endorheic basin region of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in China. Where it runs through deep gorges parallel to the Mekong and the Salween before emerging onto the plains of Sichuan, it is known as the Jinsha River (金沙江 Jīnshā Jiāng, literally "golden sands river"). The Mekong is one of the world’s major Rivers It is the 11th-longest river in the world and 7th longest in Asia The Salween River (သံလွင်မြစ် θànlwìn myiʔ also spelled Salwine) rises in Tibet ( after which it flows through Yunnan ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu.

The Yangtze was earlier known to the Chinese as simply Jiang (江 Jiāng), which has become a generic name meaning "river," or the Da Jiang (大江 Dà Jiāng, literally "great river"). The Tibetan name for the river is Drichu (Tibetan: འབྲི་ཆུ་; Wylie: 'bri chu, lit. The Tibetan script is an Abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Ladakhi language The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language Typewriter. "river of the female yak"). The Yangtze is sometimes referred to as the Golden Waterway.

Yangtze watershed

Geography

Cruising through the Three Gorges along the Yangtze River

The river originates in a glacier lying on the west of Geladandong mountain in the Dangla Mountain Range on the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau. The Three Gorges ( Gorgesogg|listen now}} region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China with a total Geladandong (also spelled Geladaindong or Geladaintong) is a snow-covered mountain (or Massif) located in southwestern Qinghai, China Tanggula Mountains (also called Dangla Mountains) are a mountain range in Tibet. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous It runs through the eastern part of Qinghai, turning southward down a deep valley at the border of Sichuan and Tibet to reach Yunnan. (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European In the course of this valley, the river's elevation drops from above 5000 m to less than 1000 m.

It enters the basin of Sichuan at Yibin. Yibin ( is a Prefecture-level city in south central China, in southern Sichuan Province located at the junction of the Min and Yangtze While in the Sichuan basin it receives several mighty tributaries, increasing its water volume significantly. It then cuts through Mount Wushan bordering Chongqing and Hubei to create the famous Three Gorges. Chongqing ( Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. The Three Gorges ( Gorgesogg|listen now}} region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China with a total Eastward of the Three Gorges, Yichang is the first city on the Yangtze Plain. Yichang (宜昌 Pinyin: Yíchāng is a Prefecture-level city in Hubei province of China.

After entering Hubei, the Yangtze receives more water from thousands of lakes. ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. The largest of these lakes is Dongting Lake, which is located on the border of Hunan and Hubei provinces, and is the outlet for most of the rivers in Hunan. Lake Dongting, or Dongting Lake ( is a large shallow Lake in northeastern Hunan Province of China. ( is a province of China, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, meaning At Wuhan it receives its biggest tributary, the Han River, bringing water from its northern basin as far as Shaanxi. ( is the capital of Hubei province and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. The Han River ( in China was often referred to as Hànshǔi (漢水 "Han water" in antiquity ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess

At the northern tip of Jiangxi, Lake Poyang, the biggest lake in China, merges into the river. Lake Poyang ( located in Jiangxi Province is the largest Freshwater Lake in China. The river then runs through Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, receiving more water from innumerable smaller lakes and rivers, and finally reaches the East China Sea at Shanghai. Anhui (in Chinese: 安徽 Ānhuī) is a province of the People's Republic of China. ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million

Four of China's five main freshwater lakes contribute their waters to the Yangtze River. Traditionally, the upstream part of the Yangtze River refers to the section from Yibin to Yichang; the middle part refers to the section from Yichang to Hukou, where Boyang Lake meets the river; the downstream part is from Hukou to Shanghai.

Environment

Ships on the Yangtze at dawn with bridge in the distance (near Nantong).

In 2007 fears were expressed that China's Finless Porpoise, known locally as the jiangzhu or "river pig", might follow the baiji, the Yangtze river dolphin, into extinction. The Finless Porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaeniodes) is one of six Porpoise species The ( ( Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meaning "left behind" The baiji was declared functionally extinct in 2006.

Calls have been made for action to be taken to save the porpoise, of which there are about 1400 left living, with between 700 and 900 in the Yangtze, with about another 500 in Poyang and Dongting Lakes. Poyang may refer to Lake Poyang, a lake in Jiangxi China Poyang County, a county in China Lake Dongting, or Dongting Lake ( is a large shallow Lake in northeastern Hunan Province of China.

2007 population levels are less than half the 1997 levels, and the population is dropping at a rate of 7. 3 percent per year.

Heavy river traffic on the Yangtze has driven the porpoise into the lakes. On Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, sand dredging has become a mainstay of local economical development in the last few years, and is an important source of revenue in the region that border it. But at the same time, high-density dredging projects have been the principal cause of the death of the local wildlife population.

Dredging makes the waters of the lake muddier, and the porpoises cannot see as far as they once could, and have to rely on their highly-developed sonar systems to avoid obstacles and look for food. Large ships enter and leave the lake at the rate of two a minute and such a high density of shipping means the porpoises have difficulty hearing their food, and also cannot swim freely from one bank to the other. ^[2] About 30 % of river's major tributaries like Minjiang, Tuojiang, Xiangjiang and Huangpu are heavily polluted by massive quantities of ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants which are causing significantly smaller fish catch. ^[3]

The Three Gorges Dam is having a major adverse impact on the Yangtze River basin, especially the biota and archaeology. Zh-yue三峽大壩 The Three Gorges Dam ( is a hydroelectric River Dam that spans the Yangtze River in Sandouping, Biota is the total collection of Organisms of a geographic region or a time period from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos ^[4][5]

Characteristics

Tombs on a hill facing the Yangtze as it flows by

South-bound ferry near Nantong

The Yangtze flows into the East China Sea and was navigable by ocean-going vessels up to a thousand miles from its mouth even before the Three Gorges Dam was built. The East China Sea is a Marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1249000 km² Zh-yue三峽大壩 The Three Gorges Dam ( is a hydroelectric River Dam that spans the Yangtze River in Sandouping, As of June 2003, this dam spans the river, flooding Fengjie, the first of a number of towns affected by the massive flood control and power generation project. Fengjie County ( Simplified Chinese: 奉节县 Pinyin: Fèngjié Xiàn, Vietnamese: Phụng Tiết) is a county of This is the largest comprehensive irrigation project in the world, and has a significant impact on the China's agriculture. Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops Agriculture is the most important economic sector of China, employing over 300 million farmers Its proponents argue that it will free people living along the river from floods that have repeatedly threatened them in the past, and will offer them electricity and water transport -- though at the expense of permanently flooding many existing towns (including numerous ancient cultural relics) and causing large-scale changes in the local ecology. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of

Opponents of the dam point out that there are three different kinds of floods on the Yangtze River: floods which originate in the upper reaches, floods which originate in the lower reaches, and floods along the entire length of the river. They argue that the Three Gorges dam will actually make flooding in the upper reaches worse and have little or no impact on floods which originate in the lower reaches. Twelve hundred years of low water marks on the river were recorded in the inscriptions and the carvings of carp at Baiheliang, now submerged. Baiheliang (literally "White Crane Ridge" is a rock outcropping in Fuling District, Chongqing, People's Republic of China, that parallels the

The Yangtze is flanked with metallurgical, power, chemical, auto, building materials and machinery industrial belts, and high-tech development zones. It is playing an increasingly crucial role in the river valley's economic growth and has become a vital link for international shipping to the inland provinces. The river is a major transportation artery for China, connecting the interior with the coast. The river used as a waterway for commerce offer now the possibility to cruise at leisure. Since 2004 a European luxury cruising company has brought very high standard and with the help of Swiss hotelier Nicolas C. Solari developed and opened three beautiful vessels now cruising the mighty river. The river is one of the world's busiest waterways. Traffic includes commercial traffic transporting bulk goods such as coal as well as manufactured goods and passengers. Cargo transportation reached 795 million tons in 2005. ^[6][7] River cruises several days long especially through the beautiful and scenic Three Gorges area are becoming popular as the tourism industry grows in China. The Three Gorges ( Gorgesogg|listen now}} region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China with a total

Flooding along the river has been a major problem. The rainy season in China is May and June in areas south of Yangtze River, and July and August in areas north of it. The huge river system receives water both from southern and northern flanks, which causes its flood season to extend from May to August. Meanwhile, the relatively dense population and rich cities along the river make the floods more deadly and costly. The most recent major floods were the 1998 Yangtze River Floods, but more disastrous were the 1954 Yangtze river floods, killing around 30,000 people. In the summer of 1998 China experienced massive Flooding of parts of the Yangtze River, resulting in 3004 dead 14 million left homeless and $24 billion From June to September of 1954, the Yangtze River Floods were a series of catastrophic Floodings that occurred mostly in Hubei Province Other severe floods included those of 1911 which killed around 100,000, 1931 (145,000 dead), and 1935 (142,000 dead).

The Yangtze is very polluted, especially in Hubei (Shashi). ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China.

History

Afternoon light on the jagged grey mountains rising from the Yangtze River gorge

The Yangtze Harbor is important to the cultural origins of southern China. Human activity was found in the Three Gorges area as far back as 27 thousand years ago, initiating debate over the origin of the Chinese people. ^[8] In the Spring and Autumn Period, Ba and Shu were located in the western part of the river, covering modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and western Hubei; Chu was located in the central part of river, corresponding to Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and southern Anhui. The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC Ba (巴 was an ancient state in eastern Sichuan, China. Its original capital was Zhi ( Fuling) Chongqing. Shu ( 蜀) was an ancient state in what is now Sichuan, China. Chǔ ( 楚) was a kingdom in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period ( 722 - 481 BC) and ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. ( is a province of China, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, meaning ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsi is a southern province of the People's Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River Anhui (in Chinese: 安徽 Ānhuī) is a province of the People's Republic of China. Wu and Yue were located in the eastern part of the river, now Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. Wu (吳 was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country Zhejiang ( is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Although the Yellow River region was richer and more developed at that time, the milder climate and more peaceful environment made the Yangtze river area more suitable for agriculture. The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the

From the Han Dynasty, the region of the Yangtze river became more and more important in China's economy. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The establishment of irrigation systems (the most famous one is Dujiangyan, northwest of Chengdu, built during the Warring States period) made agriculture very stable and productive. Dujiangyan ( is an Irrigation infra-structure built in 256 BC during the Warring States Period of China by the Kingdom of Qin The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the Early in the Qing dynasty, the region called "Jiangnan" (that includes the southern part of Jiangsu, the northern part of Zhejiang, and the southeastern part of Anhui) provided 1/3-1/2 of the nation's revenues. Jiangnan or Jiang Nan ( sometimes spelled Kiang-nan) is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country Zhejiang ( is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Anhui (in Chinese: 安徽 Ānhuī) is a province of the People's Republic of China.

Historically, the Yangtze became the political boundary between north China and south China several times (see History of China) because of the difficulty of crossing the river. Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Many battles took place along the river, the most famous being the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD during the Three Kingdoms period. The Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, ( was a decisive battle at the End of Han Dynasty, immediately prior to the period of the Three The Three Kingdoms period ( is a period in the History of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of

Politically, Nanjing was the capital of China several times, although most of the time its territory only covered the southeastern part of China, such as the Wu kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and smaller countries in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periods. ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles Eastern Wu ( Chinese: 東吳 Pinyin: Dōng Wú also known as Sun Wu ( Traditional Chinese: 孫吳 pinyin Sūn Wú refers to a The Jìn Dynasty ( 265 – 420) one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties This article is about the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ( 907-960 was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty. Only the Ming occupied most parts of China from their capital at Nanjing, though it later moved capital to Beijing. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles The ROC capital was located in Nanjing in the periods 1911-1912, 1927-1937, 1945-1949. ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles

Major cities along the river

Cities along the Yangtze, between Wuhan and Shanghai

A loading point for coal barges on the Yangtze River

• Panzhihua
• Yibin
• Luzhou
• Chongqing
• Yichang
• Jingzhou
• Shashi
• Shishou
• Yueyang
• Xianning
• Wuhan
• Ezhou
• Huangshi
• Huanggang
• Chaohu
• Chizhou
• Jiujiang
• Anqing
• Tongling
• Wuhu
• Hefei
• Chuzhou
• Maanshan
• Taizhou
• Yangzhou
• Zhenjiang
• Nanjing
• Nantong
• Shanghai
• Fengdu

Crossings

The Yangtze at the "First Bridge" of the Qingzang railway in Tibet. This article deals with the city of Panzhihua in Sichuan China Yibin ( is a Prefecture-level city in south central China, in southern Sichuan Province located at the junction of the Min and Yangtze Luzhou ( most well-known for its Alcoholic beverages, is a Prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province People's Republic of China, with Chongqing ( Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China Yichang (宜昌 Pinyin: Yíchāng is a Prefecture-level city in Hubei province of China. Jingzhou ( is a city in the Hubei province of the People's Republic of China, on the banks of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang Shishou (石首 is a County-level city in Jingzhou of Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. Administration The Yueyang metropolitan area is made up of six outlying districts two special districts and the city proper Xianning ( Simplified Chinese: 咸宁 Pinyin: Xiánníng is a Prefecture-level city in China 's Hubei province ( is the capital of Hubei province and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. Ezhou ( Simplified Chinese: 鄂州 Pinyin: Èzhōu is a Prefecture-level city in China 's Hubei province Huangshi ( Simplified Chinese: 黄石 Pinyin: Huángshí is a Prefecture-level city in China 's Hubei province Huanggang City ( Chinese: 黃冈 Pinyin: Huánggāng is a major municipality (also known as a Prefecture in eastern Hubei Province China. Administration The Prefecture-level city of Chaohu administers 5 county-level divisions, including 1 districts and 4 counties. Administration The Prefecture-level city of Chizhou administers 4 county-level divisions, including 1 district and 3 counties. Jiujiang (, formerly called Kiukiang, is a Prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River (ChangJiang in northwest Administration The Prefecture-level city of Anqing administers 11 county-level divisions, including 3 districts, 1 County-level city Administration The Prefecture-level city of Yantai administers 4 county-level divisions, including 3 districts and 1 county. WUHU (1071 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format Hefei ( literally "Junction of the (South Fei Rivers " former names Ho-fei Luzhou Luchow is a Prefecture-level city and the provincial capital of Administration The Prefecture-level city of Chuzhou administers 8 county-level divisions, including 2 districts, a Sub-prefecture-level Administration The Prefecture-level city of Ma'anshan administers 4 county-level divisions, including 3 districts and 1 county Administration The Prefecture-level city of Taizhou administers 6 county-level divisions, including 2 districts and 4 county-level cities Administration The Prefecture-level city of Yangzhou administers 7 county-level divisions. Administration The Prefecture-level city of Zhenjiang administers 6 county-level divisions, including 3 districts and 3 county-level cities ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles Administration The Prefecture-level city of Nantong administers 8 county-level divisions, including 2 districts and 4 county-level cities Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million The Qingzang railway, Qinghai–Xizang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway ( mtsho bod lcags lam མཚོ་བོད་ལྕགས་ལམ། is a high-altitude

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

Runyang Bridge

Jiangyin Suspension Bridge

Chongqing:

• Caiyuanba Bridge^[9]
• Chaotianmen Bridge^[10]
• Chongqing Second Bridge Yangtze River Bridge^[11] (opened 1995)
• Baidicheng Suspension Bridge^[12] (pedestrian bridge)
• Masangxi Bridge^[13]
• Shibanpo Bridge^[14] (opened 2006)
• Wushan Bridge^[15] (opened 2005)
• Fengdu Bridge (opened 1996)
• Maochaojie Bridge^[16]
• Wanxian Bridge^[17] (opened 1997)
• LumMingYan Bridge (opened 2007)

Hubei:

• Zhicheng Bridge^[18] (road/rail bridge, opened 1971)
• Jingzhou Yangtze River Bridge^[19] (road bridge, opened 2002)
• Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge (road/rail bridge, opened 1957)
• Second Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge (opened 1995)
• Baishazhou Bridge (opened 2000)
• Yangluo Bridge^[20] (road bridge, expected 2007)
• Huangshi Yangtze River Bridge^[21] (road bridge, opened 1996)

Jiangxi:

• Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge (road/rail bridge, opened 1992)

Anhui:

• Anqing Bridge^[22] (road bridge, opened 2005)
• Tongling Bridge^[23] (road bridge, opened 1995)
• Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge (road/rail bridge, opened 2000)

Jiangsu:

• Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (road/rail bridge, opened 1968)
• Runyang Bridge (road bridge, opened 2005)
• Jiangyin Suspension Bridge (road bridge, opened 1999)
• Sutong Bridge (road bridge, expected 2008)

Jiangsu and Shanghai:

• Chongqi Bridge(road bridge, expected 2010)

Shanghai:

• Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge(road & metro bridge, expected 2010)
• Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel(road & metro tunnel, expected 2010)

Dams

By 2007, there are two dams on the Yangtze river: Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam. The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the first bridge to be built across the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China. The Runyang Bridge ( is a large Bridge complex that crosses the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province China, downstream of Nanjing. The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge is the most seaward Bridge to cross the Yangtze River of China. Chongqing ( Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China The Fengdu Bridge is a Suspension bridge which crosses the Yangtze River in Fengdu County, Sichuan Province, China. Wanxian Bridge is a Reinforced concrete Arch bridge built over the Yangtze River in 1995 ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. ( is the capital of Hubei province and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. ( is the capital of Hubei province and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. ( is the capital of Hubei province and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsi is a southern province of the People's Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River The Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge is a combined road and rail Bridge which crosses the Yangtze River. Anhui (in Chinese: 安徽 Ānhuī) is a province of the People's Republic of China. The Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge is the longest highroad and railway amphibious bridge over the Yangtze. ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the first bridge to be built across the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China. The Runyang Bridge ( is a large Bridge complex that crosses the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province China, downstream of Nanjing. The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge is the most seaward Bridge to cross the Yangtze River of China. The Sutong Bridge ( Wu IPA:sutʰoŋ dadʒɔ is a Cable-stayed bridge that spans the Yangtze River in People's Republic of China between ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Chongqi Bridge ( also called Chongqi Crossing Project ( is a part of the Hushan Expressway (Shanghai-Xi'an which is one part of the National Expressway Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Shanghai Yangtze River Crossing Project also called Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge & Tunnel, Chongming Crossing River Project, Huchong Crossing Project, is the name Shanghai Yangtze River Crossing Project also called Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge & Tunnel, Chongming Crossing River Project, Huchong Crossing Project, is the name Zh-yue三峽大壩 The Three Gorges Dam ( is a hydroelectric River Dam that spans the Yangtze River in Sandouping, The Gezhouba Dam or Gezhouba Water Control Project ( pinyin chángjiāng gězhōubà shuǐlì shūniǔ gōngchéng is located in the suburbs of Yichang City The third one Xiluodu Dam is under construction. The Xiluodu Dam is a Hydroelectric dam project on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in China. More dams are in planning stage, such as Wudongde, Baihetan, and Xiangjiaba.

Tributaries

A shipyard on the banks of the Yangtze building commercial river freight boats

The Yangtze River has over 700 tributaries but the principal tributaries are the following:

• Yalong River
• Minjiang River
• Jialing River
• Tuo he(river)
• Han River

Miscellaneous

• The Yangtze is home to at least two critically endangered species: The Chinese Alligator and the Chinese Paddlefish. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The Yalong River, also called Ya-lung River () is an 822 mile (1323 kilometers long river in the Sichuan province of southern China. The Jialing River ( is a tributary of the Yangtze River with its source in Gansu province. The Han River ( in China was often referred to as Hànshǔi (漢水 "Han water" in antiquity The Chinese Alligator or Yangtze Alligator ( Alligator sinensis) is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Chinese Paddlefish, Psephurus gladius ( also known as Chinese Swordfish, are among the largest Freshwater Fish. (This is the only other place besides the U. S. that is native to an alligator species. ) In December of 2006, the Baiji (Chinese River Dolphin) was declared functionally extinct after an extensive search of the river revealed no signs of the dolphin's inhabitance; however, one was sighted soon after. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The ( ( Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meaning "left behind" Functional extinction is the Extinction of a Species or other Taxon such that it disappears from the Fossil record, or historic ^[24]
• Cheung Kong Holdings, from the Cantonese language form of Chang Jiang and named after the river, is the name of the holding company controlled by Li Ka-Shing, one of Asia's richest tycoons. Cheung Kong (Holdings Limited (Cheung Kong Holdings (長江實業(集團有限公司 Pinyin: Chángjiāng Shíyè (Jítuán Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, is the flagship A holding company is a company that owns part all or a majority of other companies' outstanding Stock. Not to be confused with Martin Lee Ka Shing, the vice-chairman of Henderson Land Development. A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in
• In 2004 Martin Strel from Slovenia swam the river from the Tiger Leaping Gorge to Shanghai (4600 km, 2860 miles). Martin Strel (born October 1 1954) is a Slovenian ultra Marathon Swimmer, best known for swimming the entire length of Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Tiger Leaping Gorge ( is a Canyon on the Yangtze River &ndash locally called the Golden Sands River (金沙江 Jīnshā Jiāng &ndash located 60 km Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million
• In 1342 the Yangtze River in Jiangzu province was reported to have run dry. Water completely disappeared for a day and the riverbed became visible. This event occurred again on January 13, 1954. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) ^[25]
• The river was first rafted from source to mouth in 1986 by all-Chinese teams attempting to beat a Sino-American team to the first descent. Ten of the rafters drowned. The event was widely followed by the Chinese press, and became a source of national pride. ^[26]

See also

• Yangtze River Delta
• List of rivers in China
• 1998 Yangtze River Floods
• Three Gorges Dam
• Geography of China
• Shen Nong Stream
• Yangtze Service Medal
• Dragon Boat
• Ship lifts in China
• Chang Jiang Motorcycle
• Tiger Leaping Gorge
• Yangtze River Crossing
• South-North Water Transfer Project
• River cruise
• Yangtze Incident
• Baiji
• Finless Porpoise
• Three Furnaces

References

Further reading

• Van Slyke, Lyman P. 1988. Yangtze: nature, history, and the river. A Portable Stanford Book. ISBN 0-201-08894-0
• Winchester, Simon. 1996. The River at the Center of the World:A Journey up the Yangtze & Back in Chinese Time, Holt, Henry & Company, 1996, hardcover, ISBN 0-8050-3888-4; trade paperback, Owl Publishing, 1997, ISBN 0-8050-5508-8; trade paperback, St. Martins, 2004, 432 pages, ISBN 0-312-42337-3

Coordinates: 33°28′05″N 91°11′45″E / 33.46806, 91.19583