A Yangtze Journey The Yangtze is Asia's longest river stretching for 3 915 miles 6 300 km Its Chinese name is Chang Jiang which means the Long River You will follow the river from its source on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau to where it drains into the East China Sea near Shanghai A Great River Chinese civilization began on the banks of the V The Yangtze flows through many different Yangtze For thousands of years Chinese people landscapes including have relied on the river for transport irrigating farmed hillsides crops and for food and water Today about half of mountains forests all the food in China is grown in the Yangtze basin fertile plains and wetlands including more than two thirds of the country's rice crop Almost 500 million people live and work along its
The Yangtze's Source Threats to the Yangtze In recent years the river has become polluted by factory and household waste Wildlife habitats have been destroyed and many types of fish that once lived in the river have disappeared The Chinese government is working to repair the damage and to protect endangered species Some sections of the river have now been made into nature reserves Finding the source of a river like the Yangtze is not easy because many other streams called tributaries flow into it People once thought that the Jinsha Jiang River was the source Then in 1976 a small lake was discovered at the foot of Mount Geladandong near the border with Tibet Most now agree that this lake is the Yangtze's source MONGOLIA ASIA AFRICA Ye Sea ANGSu PROVINCE ANHul Neighbouring countries Provinces adjoining the Yangtze River Zhenj CHINA PROVINC Mount Gela dandong HUB PROVINC Three Gorges dam and resenoir v because of pollution and other threats scientists fear that the Yangtze dolphin may have died out completely SICHUAN PROVINCE QINGHAI TIBET TA PLATEAU Chongoing Xiline Chouba JANGXI PROVINCI Leaping Gorge INDIA gu Lijiang UNNAN PROVINCE MYANMAR BURMA South ch in a Se a VIETNAM
came The Tibetan Plateau Geladandong Tibet Plateau SICHUAN River f The Yangtze's source Mount Geladandong is high on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau in western China As you fly over the plateau you can see how vast and remote this region is YUNN You ARE HERE The Tibetan Plateau is sometimes called the roof of the world It is four times the size of France Many of the great rivers of Asia begin here The upper Yangtze The Yangtze begins by flowing east through a shallow valley It then winds south past snow covered mountain peaks that are cut with steep rocky valleys called gorges On flat parts of the plateau tribesmen live by herding cattle These nomads do not have a permanent home but move from place to place living in circular tents called yurts In OP
v The first turn of the Yangtze is at Shiquin Yunnan Province where the river heads northeast The Yangtze's First Turn The Kazak People For several hundred miles the Yangtze flows southeast At a small town called Shigu it meets a massive wall of limestone and suddenly turns northeast This is known as the first turn of the Yangtze Until 50 years ago this part of China was cut off from the rest of the world Its people lived under their own rulers Today roads and railways are being built and the way of life is changing But many areas are still very remote Some villages are so isolated that they can be reached only by mountain paths and rope bridges The mountains of northwestern China are home to approximately 800 000 nomadic Kazak people In the summer they set up their homes in the high mountains where there are pastures for their cattle When autumn comes they move lower down packing up their tents and taking their belongings with them A azak family leaves the plains in search of fresh
