Counties, Cities and Provinces along the Yangtze River in China

The Yangtze River flows across a vast and diverse landscape, passing through 11 provinces and municipalities, each contributing to the river's cultural, economic, and environmental significance. Below is a detailed breakdown of the regions the river traverses from its source to its mouth.

Provinces Along the Yangtze River

The Yangtze River flows through the following 11 provinces and municipalities from west to east:

1. Qinghai (青海)

• Starting Point: The Yangtze River originates in Qinghai (青海) on the Tibetan Plateau, at an elevation of about 4,900 meters (16,100 feet).

2. Tibet (西藏)

• The river flows through the upper reaches of Tibet (西藏), where it is known as the "Jinsha River" (金沙江) before entering Sichuan (四川).

3. Sichuan (四川)

• Key Cities: Panzhihua (攀枝花), Yibin (宜宾), Luzhou (泸州).

• Notable Areas: Cuiping District (翠屏区), Nanxi District (南溪区), Jiangyang District (江阳区), Naxi District (纳溪区).

4. Chongqing (重庆)

• Key Districts: Yuzhong District (渝中区), Jiangbei District (江北区), Fuling District (涪陵区), Wanzhou District (万州区).

• Important City: Chongqing (重庆) serves as an important port city along the Yangtze.

5. Hubei (湖北)

• Key Cities: Yichang (宜昌), Jingzhou (荆州), Wuhan (武汉), Huangshi (黄石).

• Notable Areas: Zhijiang City (枝江市), Yidou City (宜都市), Gong'an County (公安县), Shishou City (石首市), Wuchang District (武昌区), Hongshan District (洪山区), Tuanfeng County (团风县), Qichun County (蕲春县), Huarong District (华容区), Yangxin County (阳新县).

6. Hunan (湖南)

• Key City: Yueyang (岳阳)

• Notable Areas: Yueyanglou District (岳阳楼区), Linxiang City (临湘市), Huarong County (华容县).

7. Jiangxi (江西)

• Key City: Jiujiang (九江)

• Notable Areas: Xunyang District (浔阳区), Hukou County (湖口县), Pengze County (彭泽县).

8. Anhui (安徽)

• Key Cities: Anqing (安庆), Chizhou (池州), Tongling (铜陵), Wuhu (芜湖), Ma'anshan (马鞍山).

• Notable Areas: Yingjiang District (迎江区), Susong County (宿松县), Guichi District (贵池区), Dongzhi County (东至县), Zongyang County (枞阳县), Jinghu District (镜湖区), Wuwei City (无为市), Hexian County (和县), Dangtu County (当涂县).

9. Jiangsu (江苏)

• Key Cities: Nanjing (南京), Yangzhou (扬州), Zhenjiang (镇江), Taizhou (泰州), Changzhou (常州), Wuxi (无锡), Suzhou (苏州), Nantong (南通).

• Notable Areas: Gulou District (鼓楼区), Qixia District (栖霞区), Guangling District (广陵区), Yizheng City (仪征市), Jingkou District (京口区), Yangzhong City (扬中市), Gaogang District (高港区), Taixing City (泰兴市), Xinbei District (新北区), Jiangyin City (江阴市), Zhangjiagang City (张家港市), Taicang City (太仓市), Chongchuan District (崇川区), Haimen City (海门市).

10. Shanghai (上海)

• Key District: Chongming District (崇明区), located at the Yangtze River estuary.

Prefecture-Level Cities and County-Level Cities

Upper Reaches (Sichuan-Chongqing)

• Sichuan: Panzhihua (攀枝花), Yibin (宜宾), Luzhou (泸州).

• Chongqing: Main City (Yuzhong District, Jiangbei District), Fuling District (涪陵区), Wanzhou District (万州区).

Middle Reaches (Hubei-Hunan-Jiangxi)

• Hubei: Yichang (宜昌), Jingzhou (荆州), Wuhan (武汉), Huanggang (黄冈), Ezhou (鄂州), Huangshi (黄石).

• Hunan: Yueyang (岳阳).

• Jiangxi: Jiujiang (九江).

Lower Reaches (Anhui-Jiangsu-Shanghai)

• Anhui: Anqing (安庆), Chizhou (池州), Tongling (铜陵), Wuhu (芜湖), Ma'anshan (马鞍山).

• Jiangsu: Nanjing (南京), Yangzhou (扬州), Zhenjiang (镇江), Taizhou (泰州), Changzhou (常州), Wuxi (无锡), Suzhou (苏州), Nantong (南通).

• Shanghai: Chongming District (崇明区).

Core Cities in the Yangtze River Delta

The Yangtze River Delta region is known for its economic strength, housing some of China's most prosperous cities, including:

• Shanghai (上海) (major economic hub)

• Nanjing (南京)

• Suzhou (苏州)

• Wuxi (无锡)

• Changzhou (常州)

• Nantong (南通)

• Hangzhou (杭州) (part of the basin but not directly along the main stream)

• Ningbo (宁波) (also within the basin)

Economically Strong Counties Along the Yangtze

Some economically strong counties along the Yangtze River are:

• Zhangjiagang (张家港) (Jiangsu)

• Jiangyin (江阴) (Jiangsu)

• Tongxiang (桐乡) (Zhejiang)

These counties are among the top 100 counties along the river.