Where is the source of the Yangtze River?

The Yangtze River originates from the Ganggendiru glacier on the south side of Gladang East Snow Mountain, the main peak of Tanggula Mountain.

Tuotuo is the source of the Yangtze River. It is 375 kilometers (233 miles) long, and together with the Dangqu River and the Chumar River, it forms the source water system of the Yangtze River. As early as in the history books, people were discussing the source of the Yangtze River. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler in Ming Dynasty, thought that Jinsha River was the source of the Yangtze River and wrote a book about the source of the Yangtze River. By the Qing Dynasty, people had known the Tongtian River, but they still could not determine the source of the Yangtze River. China visited the source of the Yangtze River twice in 1956 and 1977. In the investigation of 1977, he finally determined that the Tuotuo River, which originated in Maladun in winter, is the real source of the Yangtze River.

When Tuotuo River originates from Gangendi Glacier in Gradan, it is a small stream, where some glaciers and ice buckets meet. At this time, the water surface was only 3 meters wide and only 20 centimeters deep, and then it flowed to the north for 9 kilometers. At the foot of Badong Mountain, the meltwater of Gacha Dirugang Snow Mountain Glacier is gathered. After crossing a valley about 15 km long, continue north and split in two. At the exit of this valley, the valley suddenly cut down, forming a steep canyon about 5 kilometers long and more than 20 meters high.

After the river flows out of Badong Mountain, it first passes through a vast floodplain, then passes through a canyon, flows to the vicinity of Hulu Lake, and turns east sharply. After more than 130 kilometers, the river widened. When it reached Tuotuo River along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, it was already a big river with a depth of 3 meters and a width of 20-60 meters.

The famous first bridge over the Yangtze River stands on the Tuotuo floodplain, with a total length of 324 meters. A reinforced concrete bridge with a width of 1 1 m.

Tuotuo River continues eastward from here and joins Dangqu, Buqu and Dolqu when it reaches Nangji Balong. After 375 kilometers, a river with a width of more than 30 meters was formed here, hence the name Tongtianhe.

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The Yangtze River is the largest river in China and Asia, and the third largest river in the world, with a total length of 6,397 kilometers. It is also the longest river in the world completely within a country. Its length is second only to the Nile and Amazon rivers, and exceeds the radius of the earth. It is the third largest river in the world, second only to the Amazon River and the Congo River. From the source of Jiela Dandong in Qinghai to Yichang in Hubei, it is the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Yichang, Jiangxi to Hukou is the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The mouth of the Yangtze River from Hukou to Shanghai is the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The whole Yangtze River basin covers an area of 6.5438+0.8 million square kilometers, accounting for 654.38+0.8% of the land area of China, and is also called "mother river" with the Yellow River.