The Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and the third-longest in the world. Its mainstem spans nearly 6,400 ki- lometers. Its drainage basin, covering approximately one-fifth of China's total land area, flows through the southern part of the country. Originating from the Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the river flows through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Hengduan Mountains, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the Sichuan Basin, and the Yangtze Plain before even- tually emptying into the East China Sea. The river's mainstem is navigable for over 2,800 kilometers, earning it the name "golden waterway". With over 2,200 tributaries, the river system is elaborate, and the total area of its lakes accounts for about one-fifth of China's total lake area.

The Yangtze River basin is considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, home to numerous Neolithic cultural sites such as Daxi, Shijiahe, Hemudu, and Liangzhu. The middle reaches of the Yangtze River are considered the birthplace of rice cultivation. Starting from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 B.C.), Bashu, Jingchu, and Wuyue in the Yangtze River basin witnessed accelerated human flourishing, with Jingchu being on par with the Central Plains in the Yellow River basin. After the mid-Tang Dynasty (618-907), China's economic and cultural center gradually shifted southward, and the Yangtze River basin gradually surpassed the Yellow River basin in many aspects, including agriculture, handicrafts, culture, art, talent cultivation, making significant contributions to the development of Chinese civilization. With the rise of the Maritime Silk Road, the Yangtze River basin played an increasingly important role in cultural exchanges and trade with foreign countries. It continues to be at the forefront of China's opening-up to the outside world.

長江

長江是中國第一大河、世界第三長河，位于中國南方，流域面積約占中國陸地總面積的1/5，干流全長近6400千米。長江發源于青藏高原唐古拉山，干流先后流經青藏高原、橫斷山區、云貴高原、四川盆地、長江中下游平原，最后注入東海。干流通航里程達2800多千米，被稱為"黃金水道"。長江水系發達，大小支流2200多條，形成的湖泊總面積約占中國湖泊總面積的1/5。

長江流域是中華文明的主要發源地之一，分布有大溪文化、石家河文化、河姆渡文化、良渚文化等大量新石器文化遺址。長江中游地區是公認的人類稻作文明的發祥地。自春秋時期開始，長江流域的巴蜀文化、荊楚文化、吳越文化迅速發展，特別是荊楚文化可以與黃河流域的中原文化并駕齊驅。唐代中期以后，中國的經濟、文化重心逐步南移，長江流域在農業、手工業、文化、藝術、人才教育等諸多方面逐漸超越黃河流域，為中華文明綿延發展作出重要貢獻。隨著海上絲綢之路的興起，長江流域在中外文化交流和貿易往來方面的作用日益重要，時至今日仍然是中國對外開放的重要前沿陣地。