|
Yangtze Gorges |
|
| Chongoing,
China |
| Earth's Natural Wonders in
Asia |
| Length of Qutang
Gorge: 5 m (8km) |
| Length of Wu
Gorge: 25 m (40km) |
| Length of Xiling
Gorge: 47 mi. (75 km) |
| The
upper course of the Yangtze flows
across the Plateau of Tibet and
descends through deep valleys
in the mountains east of the plateau,
emerging onto the Yunnan-Guizhou
(Yungui) Plateau. Summers there
are warm, and the winters are
cold. he source of the Yangtze
is the Ulan Moron (Wulanmulun)
River, which originates in glacial
meltwaters on the slopes of the
Tanggula Mountains in southern
Qinghai province on the border
with the Tibet Autonomous Region.[4] |
|
Three Gorges
Region
The Three Gorges region
is a scenic area along the Yangtze
River in the Hubei province of the
People's Republic of China with a
total length of approximately 200
km. The Three Gorges occupy approximately
120 km within this region. Although
it is primarily famous for its scenery,
the Three Gorges region is historically
and culturally an important region
in China. A representation of the
westernmost gorge appears on China's
currency, the back of the paper 5
yuan note.
Three Gorges
Dam
The Three Gorges Dam
was constructed at a place called
Sandòupíng in the middle
of the Xiling Gorge. The reservoir
was completed in the summer of 2006,
and the water level in the Qutang,
Wuxia, and the western portion of
the Xiling Gorges has already begun
to rise. The dam itself is projected
to be completed in 2009. In addition
to the impacts of the dam on the ecology
and people (i.e. the mass relocation
of towns and villages) of the region,
the dam will also change the scenery
of the Three Gorges. Because the water
level will be higher, the river will
be wider and the mountains will appear
lower. Proponents of the dam point
out that because the mountains reach
several thousand feet above the river,
the gorges are still likely to offer
spectacular views of the surrounding
cliffs, and it should be noted that
most riverboat companies that operate
in the Three Gorges intend to continue
to offer tours of the region. The
increase in width of the Gorges will
also allow larger ships through the
gorges, and it is anticipated that
river traffic of all kinds will increase.
Yangtze River
The Yangtze River, or
Chang Jiang , Tibetan: 'Bri-chu, is
the longest river in China and Asia,
and the third-longest in the world,
after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon
in South America.
The river is about 6,385
km long (3915 mi) and flows from its
source in Qinghai Province, eastwards
into the East China Sea at Shanghai.
It acts as a dividing line between
North and South China, although geographers
generally consider the Qinling-Huai
River line to be the official line
of geographical division. As the largest
river in the region, the Yangtze is
historically, culturally, and economically
important to China. One of the dams
on the river, the Three Gorges Dam,
is the largest hydro-electric power
station in the world. The section
of the river flowing through deep
gorges in Yunnan province is part
of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan
Protected Areas: a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
The name Yangtze River,
as well as various similar names such
as Yangtse River, Yangzi River, Yangtze
Kiang, etc., is derived from Yangzi
Jiang , which, beginning in the Sui
Dynasty, was the Chinese name for
the river in its lower reaches, specifically,
the stretch between Yangzhou and Zhenjiang
. The name comes from the ancient
ferry crossing Yangzi Jin ( meaning
"Yangzi Crossing"). From
the Ming Dynasty, the name was sometimes
written (yángzi). Because it
was the name first heard by missionaries
and traders, this name was applied
in English to the whole river. In
Chinese, Yangzi Jiang is considered
a historical or poetic name for the
river. The modern Chinese name, Chang
Jiang ( Cháng Jiang), literally
means "long 'Jiang'" (Jiang
is the classical Chinese of Yangtze,
but now it means river) and may sometimes
also be used in English. It is also
known to many as the 'Main Street'
of China.
Like many rivers, the
river is known by different names
over its course. At its source, it
is called in Chinese the Dangqu (
from the Tibetan for "marsh river").
Downstream, it is called the Tuotuo
River and then the Tongtian River
( literally "river passing through
heaven"). Where it runs through
deep gorges parallel to the Mekong
and the Salween before emerging onto
the plains of Sichuan, it is known
as the Jinsha River , literally "golden
sands river").
The first turn of the Yangtze at Shigu
, Yunnan Province, where the river
turns 180 degrees from south- to north-bound.
The Yangtze was earlier known to the
Chinese as simply Jiang , which has
become a generic name meaning "river",
or the Da Jiang . The Tibetan name
for the river is Drichu . The Yangtze
is sometimes referred to as the Golden
Waterway.
