The long river
In Chinese its name means ?long river?. It?s the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world. Only the Amazon and the Nile are longer. The Yangtze starts from the mountains of Qinghai province, and flows around 6,300 kilometres. It finally flows into the sea in Shanghai.
The Yangtze has been extremely important to the people of China throughout history. Most call the upper reaches of the river the source of Chinese civilisation. Today, around a third of the mainland?s population live along its banks. It has also long been important for transport. Ships can travel up to 1,000km from the sea. Ferries can go even farther - around 1,600km to Yichang in Hubei province.
Damming it
In 2006, the biggest dam project in human history was completed. The Three Gorges Dam was first proposed by Sun Yat-sen in 1912. But the massive project was not approved until 1992.
The dam has been called China's biggest construction project since the Great Wall. It is 185 metres high and 115m wide.
