The Yangtze River (Changjiang River), the longest river in Asia, is 6,397 kilometers long. It originates from the Geladandong Snow Mountain, the main peak of the Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world, second only to the Nile River in Africa and the Amazon River in South America, and its water volume is also the third in the world.

The main source of the Yangtze River, Tuotuo River, originates from the Geladandong Snow Mountain in the Tanggula Mountains in the southwest border of Qinghai Province. After merging with the southern source of the Yangtze River, Dangqu, it is called Tongtian River; after the Tongtian River merges with the northern source of the Yangtze River, Chumar River, it flows southeast to the mouth of Batang River in Yushu County. From here to Yibin City, Sichuan Province, the main stream of the Yangtze River is called Jinsha River; it is called Yangtze River below Yibin, and the former Jingzhou section is called Jingjiang River, and the section below Yangzhou is formerly called Yangtze River. It flows into the East China Sea in Shanghai.