The Yangtze River is third longest river in the world after the Nile in Africa and Amazon of South America and longest river in Asia. This river is called as Chang Jiang in Chinese which mean Long River and this name can be found on many modern maps in English.

The name Yangzi which is translated to Yangtze was originally used by the local people for referring to the lower reaches of this river. As this was the first name which was heard by the traders and missionaries, it has been applied to the entire river in English. The name is found in many forms which include Yangtse River and Yangtsze Kiang. It runs through the deep gorges in parallel to the Salween and Mekong before it emerges into the plains of the Sichuan. The river is known to the Chinese as Jinsha River or Golden Sand River. The Yangtze River is also referred to Golden waterway.

Yangtze River

Yangtze River

This river is about 6,380 kilometers long and is traditionally considered as the dividing point between north and south China although The River Huai sharing the claim.

The Yangtze flows into the East China Sea. In the year 2003 ,before the construction of Three Gorges Dam, Fengjie, the first of a number of towns affected by the massive flood control and power generation project. This project is the largest irrigation project of the world and freed people living along the Yangtze River from the flood which threatened them in the past and offers them the electricity and water transport.

Yangtze-River

Yangtze-River

This river is the major transportation artery for China which connects the interiors with the coast. The traffic of river includes commercial transporting of bulk goods like coal as well as manufactured goods and passengers. River cruises of duration of several days especially through the scenic and beautiful Three Gorges area have become very popular as the tourism industry grows in China.