Chinese Geography --- I, II, III, IV, V

Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) As China's "main street," this artery courses over 6300 km through several of China's most economically developed regions. Excellent river ports --Shanghai, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Wuhan, Yichang, and Chongqing--are located near or along the Chang Jiang making it one of the world's busiest inland waterways. As much as 40% of the country's total grain production, 70% of the rice output and more than 40% of China's population are associated with its vast basin that includes more than 3,000 tributaries. The flow of the Chang Jiang is some 20 times greater than that of the Huang He.

With its numerous tributaries, the Chang Jiang drains nearly 20% of China's total area. Its upper reaches tap the uplands of the Tibetan Plateau before sweeping across the enormous and agriculturally productive Sichuan Basin that supports nearly 10% of China's total population. It is in the middle course of the Chang Jiang, the Three Gorges Dam project is being constructed. That is also the area the popular Yangtze River Cruise sails along the Yangtze.