The Yangtze River and the Three Gorges

The Yangtze River and the Three Gorges

Known in China as Chang Jiang ("Long River"), the mighty Yangtze River extends more than 6,000 kilometers, making it the longest and most important river in China and the third longest in the world after the Amazon and the Nile. Flowing from Tibet in the west to Shanghai in the east through eight provinces, the Yangtze has, for more than 2,000 years, been China's major transportation route (some 2,700 kilometers are navigable). Its vast catchment area, with its 700 tributaries, cover about one-fifth of the total area of the country and encompass a quarter of the country's agricultural land.

While its immense length ensures the river can be visited at numerous points in China, by far the most popular for tourists is the beautiful Three Gorges — Qutang, Wu, and Xiling — a 200-kilometer stretch between the towns of Fengjie and Yichang. In places a mix of raging torrents and dangerous shallows, here the river winds its way through the gorges and their rugged cliffs and high mountain peaks in a stretch of scenery as dramatic as the Grand Canyon. Numerous sightseeing options are available, from luxurious riverboat cruises focusing on the region's many historical attractions and places of scenic beauty to challenging adventure tours along the most dramatic sections of the river.