Yangtsé

The Yangtsé, also known as the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang in Chinese), is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world, with an approximate length of 6,300 kilometers. It rises on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province and flows eastward across the country, passing through or near Qinghai, Sichuan, Chongqing Municipality, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and finally Shanghai before discharging into the East China Sea.

The river's drainage basin covers about 1.8 million square kilometers, supporting a large portion of China's population and industrial activity. The middle and lower Yangtsé are notable for the Three Gorges, where the river is dammed by the Three Gorges Dam near Yichang. Completed in 2009, the dam has a total installed capacity of around 22.5 gigawatts and serves purposes of hydroelectric power, flood control, and navigation improvement.

Economically, the Yangtsé is a major transport artery and a source of irrigation and urban water supply. Navigation has historically been central to regional commerce, though sedimentation, dam construction, and pollution have altered flow and ecosystems.

Ecologically, the Yangtsé basin hosts numerous endemic species, but the river has faced significant ecological pressures. The baiji (Yangtze river dolphin) was declared functionally extinct in the early 21st century, and other species have been impacted by pollution, overfishing, and habitat loss. Conservation and water-quality measures are ongoing to address these challenges.

Culturally, the Yangtsé basin has been a cradle of Chinese civilization and a vital corridor for trade and cultural exchange for millennia.