The source of the Yangtze (Changjiang ) River lies in the west of Geladandong Mountain, the principal peak of the Tanggula Mountain chain in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, southwest of China. It is here in the Tuotuo River that China's longest river, about 6,380 kilometers long, rises and flows on from west to east through provinces, cities and autonomous regions of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai, finally emptying into the East China Sea from Shanghai. The Yangtze River is the largest river in China, and the third longest in the world, next only to the Nile in northeast Africa and the Amazon in South America. It is also a cradle of ancient Chinese civilization.
Qutang Gorge
The north boundary of the system of Yangtze River is lined with Qinling - Funiu - Tongbai - Dabie Mountains together with the Yellow and the Huaihe rivers, while the south boundary is lined with Nanling - Dagengling - Wuyi - Tianmu Mountains together with the Pearl River and the Min River system. Running through 11 provinces, cities and autonomous regions, and spanning 31 longitudes and 11 latitudes, the Yangtze River covers a drainage area of over 1.8 million square meters, which equals to one fifth of the nation's general acreage. In terms of area, plateaus accounts for 65% of the valley, hills 22%, plains 11% and rivers and lakes 2%.
Wuxia Gorge
The Yangtze River is divided into three sections: the upper, middle and lower reaches. Each section has geographical differences from the others. The upper reaches lie between the source and the town of Yichang in Hubei Province. Sections of the upper reaches have different names beginning with the Tuotuo River, then on to the Tongtian, Jinsha and Chuanjiang rivers, with a total length of 4,529 kilometers. The middle reaches stretch from Yichang down to Hukou in Jiangxi Province, with a total length of 927 kilometers; and the lower, from Hukou to Shanghai with 844 kilometers in length.
Xiling Gorge
The Yangtze River makes an incessant rush into the East China Sea from Shanghai. It has enormous hydroelectric resources, with an annual potential of up to 268 million kilowatts.
The most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges: the Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as the Sanxia, or Three Gorges. In 1994 construction began on the massive Three Gorges Dam near Yichang. Scheduled for completion in 2009, the dam will measure about 180 meters high and about 2.5 kilometers wide. The dam is expected to help control the flooding of the Yangtze River valley; in addition, river flows will make the Three Gorges complex the largest electricity-generating facility in the world.