Yangtze River
• Yangtze River Facts
• Yangtze River Maps
• Yangtze River History
• Yangtze River Culture
• Yangtze River Attractions
• Yangtze River Mysteries
  • Hanging Coffin
  • Ancient Pathways
• Celebrities of Yangtze Area
Yangtze River Cruise
• Yangtze River Cruise Ships
• Yangtze Cruise FAQs
• Yangtz River Tours
• Yangtze River Travel Stories
• Yangtze River Photos

Yangtze River Overview

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia, flowing from the Tibetan Hivcghlands right across China into the East Chinese sea. Its 6300 km (3915 miles) and is ice- free all year. Its official name in China is Changjiang (simplified Chinese: 长江). It is also called the Yangtze River (simplified Chinese: 扬子江）and this name is most used in western countries.

Five of China's largest cities (Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, and Nanjing) are located in the reaches of the river and the 1.8 million square km Yangtze River basin is home to 1/3 of Chinas population (400 million).

The Yangtze River is rich in history and culture. The stories of the Three Kingdoms Period and Bashu Culture and Jingchu Culture is interestiing and mysterious.

The Yangtze’s gorges are highlights on the river’s course. Tiger Leaping Gorge, on the Upper Yangtze, is the deepest gorge in the world, with mountains towering 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above it and steep 2,000 m (6,600 ft) cliffs at its sides. The Three Gorges (Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge) and the Lesser Three Gorges on the Yangtze’s middle reaches are awesomely beautiful, with relaxing cruises and pretty side gorges to be explored.

Cruising on Yangtze River is very popular for both Chinese and foreign tourists. Most cruises run between Chongqing and Yichang. Popular cruise ships are Victoria Anna and President 1. Click here to see the attraction map of the cruise

The climate at the yangtze river is as diverse as the river is long. The best time to take the Yangtze Cruise is in Spring and Autumn. That means April, May, September and October when the weather is cool and comfortable. These four months are often called high seasons. The best time in terms of price is in winter however the weather must be considered.

The Yangtze River is of major economic importance: The largest hydro-electric power station in the world, the Three Gorges Dam is on the river. The volume of transportation on the Yangtze River is higher than the total transportation of all other rivers in China together. The agricultural areas along the river produce nearly half of the countries total crop production, while most of the industrial hotspots are located here.

Yangtze River Facts

Origination: Tanggulashan Mountain

Length: 6300 kilometers (3915 miles)

Location: Yangtze River is located at latitude between 24°30′and 35°45′N and longitude between 90°33′and 112°25′E.

Facts: Cruising on Yangtze River is very popular for both Chinese and foreign tourists. Most cruises run between Chongqing and Yichang. The attractions along the cruising section are Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Xiling Gorge, Three Gorges Dam, the Lesser Three Gorges, Yichang and Wuhan. » Get more information about Yangtze River Facts

Yangtze River Attractions

Click on the cities or attractions to get more information

Downstream: Chongqing - Yichang, Chongqing - Shanghai, Chongqing - Jingzhou
Upstream: Yichang - Chongqing, Shanghai - Chongqing , Jingzhou - Chongqing

Yangtze River Mysteries

Hanging Coffins

The Three Gorges along the Yangtze River are a historical gallery. There are countless suspended artifacts and occult phenomena on the cliffs facing the water. One of them is the unsolved mystery of the cliff coffin custom, which displays profound cultural and historical meaning and the unique entombment custom of ancient nationalities in the Three Gorges. » Read More

Ancient Pathways

On the northern bank of the Yangtze River, all along Qutang Gorge from Baidicheng to Daixi, can be found traces of the ancient footpath, carved into the gorge's cliff face, that was used by laborers – called "haulers", but in essence, boat tuggers, as in "human tug boats" – whose job it was to pull the watercraft that plied the Yangtze River upstreams through passages. » Read More

Yangtze River History

The Yangtze River takes an important part in chinese history. Traces of human activity in the area can be found as far as 2 million years ago. In the Spring and Autumn Period of China, Ba and Shu tribes lived in the western part of the river, what are now the provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, and western Hubei. The Chu settled in the central part of river, corresponding to today's Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and southern Anhui provinces. Wu and Yue were located in the eastern part of the river, now Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The difficulty in crossing the river made it in later political developments, often the border of kingdoms and the place of fierce battles. The Ming Dynasty and the Republic of China both had their capital in Nanjing, a city along the Yangtze. » Read More

Yangtze River Culture

Bashu Culture

Bashu Culture is a branch of the Chinese culture and represented by Shu culture of the Sichuan region and Ba culture of Chongqing area in Sichuan Basin. Bashu culture took shape over thousands of years ago, dating back to the late Neolithic Age. Ba-shu Culture is a branch of the Chinese culture.» Read More

Jingchu Culture

Jing-chu culture gained its name from Chu state and Chu people. It was a local culture that rose in Han River region from Zhou dynasty (1066BC~256BC) to Spring and Autumn Period (770BC~476BC).Chu was also called Jing-chu, but why this state in Spring and Autumn Period was called "Chu state"? » Read More

Celebrities of Yangtze Area

Quyuan	Wang Zhaojun	Zhuge Liang	Cao Cao