The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and China, and the third-longest in the world, after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. The river is about 6,300 km long and flows from its source in Qinghai Province, eastwards into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It has traditionally been considered a dividing line between North and South China, although geographers 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.
The Yangzte river stretches across nine provinces and serves as a drain for 695,000 square miles of land. Many important cities dot the shores of the Yangzte. You may start your Yangtze Cruise from one of the following Cities..
Chongqing Lying in southwestern China on the upper reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. The renowned Three Gorges - one of the natural wonders of the world - are just 20 hours sailing away, so Chongqing is the start or end point for most Yangtze River cruises. There are more than 100 houseboats suitable for both foreign and local tourists. Chongqing features convenient water, land, and air transport facilities. .
Yichang is not a new port along Yangtze. For centuries, steamers can travel as far as Yichang. Yichang is where the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River are divided. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location, Yichang has been defined as a distribution center, an important trading port and a transportation hub along the Yangtze river linking west Hubei and east Sichuan since ancient times. For a very long time, it has been renown as the "Gateway to the Three Gorges” and the "Throat between Sichuan and Hubei". Today, Yichang remains a brisk river port of China, controlling the access to Chongqing to its southwest. .
Wuhan is located in the central part of China, where the Yangtze River, the third biggest in the world meets its biggest tributary the Han River..
