Yangtze River

the longest river in China	the longest river in China

The mighty Yangtze, or ChangJiang, is the third largest river in the world, but the longest in China. (The Nile is the longest, followed by the Amazon.) At 6,300 kilometers (3,900 miles), the Yangtze is closest in length to the Mississippi.
This extensive waterway cuts through the heart of China, and is regarded by the Chinese as marking the division of their country into north and south, both geographically and culturally. The river rises in the far western part of China and flows through eight provinces before disgorging its waters into the Yellow Sea. Over 700 tributaries draining a further six provinces join the Yangtze along its course. The Yangtze is divided into three parts: The Upper Reaches from the source in Qinghai Province to Yichang in Hubei Province, a distance of some 4,400 kilometers (2,700 miles); the Middle Reaches from Yichang to Hukou at the mouth of Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, a distance of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles); the Lower Reaches from Hukou to the estuary, a distance of some 900 kilometers (560 miles).
Its hydroelectric energy potential is almost boundless. Gezhou Dam at Yichang is one of the biggest low-water dams in the world and the Three Gorges Dam will be the world's largest hydroelectric project. One--third of China's l.2 billion people live in this prosperous basin, which also boasts a rich Cultural heritage.