Jinsha-Yangtze River in Yunnan Province

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The Jinsha River, as the upper reach of the Yangtze River, originates at the junction of Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, specifically at Zidomenda (Xiedu Village, Duoxian County, Yushu Prefecture), and flows until its confluence with the Yangtze River main stem at Hejiangmen (Sanjiangkou, Hejiangkou) in Cuiping District, Yibin City, Sichuan Province. Within Yunnan, the Jinsha River basin spans Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Lijiang City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Kunming City, Qujing City, and Zhaotong City, covering 23 counties (cities, districts).

Geographic and Hydrological Features

Source and Course

• Origin: The Jinsha River originates from Gyalmo Ngulchu Snow Mountain in Qinghai Province, flowing through Tibetan Plateau and eastern Tibet before entering Yunnan.
• Course: It spans across Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Lijiang City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Kunming City, Qujing City, and Zhaotong City in Yunnan, covering a vast area of 23 counties and districts.

Physical Characteristics

• Length: The river’s main stream from source to its confluence with the Yangtze River spans approximately 3,481 kilometers (though some sources cite 3,364 kilometers).
• Drainage Area: Covers around 502,000 square kilometers, accounting for 26% of the Yangtze River basin.
• Gradient and Flow: With an average gradient of 17.2‰ in certain sections, it flows swiftly with an average annual flow rate of 4,750 cubic meters per second, primarily sourced from precipitation and ice melt.

  

Cultural and Historical Significance

Name Evolution

• Historical Names: Known as Heishui in ancient texts like the Book of Yu Gong, it evolved through various names like Shengshui and Yanshui during different historical periods.
• Modern Name: During the Song Dynasty, it became widely known as the Jinsha River due to the abundance of gold sand found along its banks.

Strategic Importance

• Historical Events: The river has played a crucial role in Chinese history, notably during the Red Army’s Long March and other military movements due to its strategic crossings.

Regional Sections and Landmarks

Upper Section (Deqen to Lijiang)

• Geography: Characterized by steep mountains and deep valleys, including the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge, known for its dramatic cliffs and rapids.
• Cultural Sites: Includes Shangri-La and Lijiang, offering rich cultural experiences amidst breathtaking natural beauty.

Middle Section (Lijiang to Dali)

• Features: Passes through Dali Prefecture, offering a mix of ancient towns, lakes like Erhai, and cultural heritage sites.

Lower Section (Dali to Zhaotong)

• Hydroelectric Potential: Known for its steep gradients and significant hydroelectric power potential, contributing over 40% of the Yangtze River’s hydroelectric resources.

Challenges and Conservation Efforts

Environmental Impact

• Sedimentation: Significant sediment load impacts downstream ecosystems, particularly at the Yichang station on the Yangtze River.
• Conservation: Efforts underway to balance hydroelectric development with environmental conservation and sustainable water management practices.

The Jinsha River, known for its yellowish sandy soil, is also called Shengshui, Yanshui, and Lushui. It serves as the boundary river between Sichuan and Tibet. The source of the Jinsha River (and hence the Yangtze River) was officially determined in the 1970s to be the Gyalmo Ngulchu Snow Mountain, a main peak of Tanggula Mountains in Qinghai Province. The main tributary, Tuotuo River, originates from an unnamed mountain northeast of the 5054-meter peak in the eastern section of Tanggula Mountains, administratively belonging to Zaduo County, Yushu Prefecture.

After the confluence of Tuotuo River from Tanggula Mountain Town, Golmud City, Qinghai, and Tuotuo River from Tanggula Mountain, it forms the Tongtian River. The main stream of the Yangtze River flows through Zado County, Qumalai County, Zaduo County, and Yushu County. Below Zidomenda (Xiedu Village, Xiedu Township, Duoxian County, Yushu Prefecture), it begins to be called the Jinsha River.

The Jinsha River traverses between Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan provinces, receiving its largest tributary, the Yalong River, and is named the Changjiang River at Yibin, Sichuan. The main stream from the source in Qinghai Province to the main stream in Yibin City is 3481 kilometers long (some say 3364 kilometers), with a drainage area of ​​502,000 square kilometers (some say 473,200 square kilometers), accounting for approximately 26% of the Yangtze River basin area. The average annual flow rate is 4750 cubic meters per second, primarily supplied by precipitation, supplemented by groundwater and ice melt.

The Jinsha River has a drop of 3300 meters (some say 5100 meters), with a hydroelectric power resource of over 100 million kilowatts, accounting for more than 40% of the Yangtze River’s hydroelectric resources. The main stream is planned for multi-level cascade hydropower development. The Jinsha River flows swiftly with steep gradients, presenting hazardous river conditions and difficulties in navigation. Due to its steep riverbed and strong erosion, the Jinsha River is a major source of sediment at the Yichang station on the Yangtze River.

Name Evolution

The Jinsha River, as the upper reach of China’s largest river, the Yangtze River, was called Heishui in the Book of Yu Gong over 2000 years ago during the Warring States period. Later in the Shan Hai Jing, it was referred to as Shengshui.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xu Shen’s Shuowen Jiezi and the Geography Chapter of the Book of Han referred to the upper part above today’s Yalong River as Yanshui, with Yalong River as the main stream.

During the Three Kingdoms period, it was called Lushui, where Zhuge Liang “crossed Lushui in May, deeply into barren lands.” In the Northern Wei Dynasty, Li Daoyuan’s Waterways Classic was the first to give a detailed description of the Jinsha River system but did not clearly state the relationship between the Jinsha River and the main stream of the Yangtze River. In addition to this, the Jinsha River was also known as Lishui, Lake Horse River, God River, and other names.

Along the river, gold sand is abundant, “gold is born in Lishui, silver comes from Zhuti.” During the Song Dynasty, due to the appearance of a large amount of gold sand in the river, it was renamed the Jinsha River. The poet Chen Zhisui’s “Jinsha River Chant” poem says, “People in the river compete to say that the digging work is hard, and one grain of gold is in ten thousand grains of yellow sand. I don’t know the official’s gold casting threshold, and many people in Guizhou lost their time.” (Excerpt from “Zai Jingtangji · Jiangnan Jing Shi Poetry Collection”) Ming Dynasty geographer Xu Xiake, after field inspection, proposed that “those who push the river source must start with Jinsha,” thereby confirming the Jinsha River as the source of the Yangtze River and correcting the mistake of “Mingshan leading the river” for two thousand years since the Book of Yu Gong.

The Jinsha River, upper section, flows from Tibet into the northeastern part of Deqin County, Yunnan Province, crossing through Songmai River Mouth, Benzilan, and reaching Shigu (Shigu Town, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County), marking the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. This section of the river spans approximately 965 kilometers in length, with a total drop of 1,720 meters and an average gradient of 1.78‰.

Along the left bank of this stretch of the Jinsha River, from north to south, stand the towering peaks of Que’er Mountain, Sharuli Mountain, and Zhongdian Snow Mountain. On the right bank, facing them, are Dalama Mountain, Ningjing Mountain, Mangkang Mountain, and various peaks of the Yunling Range. The river generally follows the north-south direction of major fault zones or folds, flowing through narrow valleys flanked by high mountains, typically 100-200 meters wide and narrowing to 50-100 meters at its tightest. West of Ningjing Mountain to the Yunling Range lies the Lancang River. Beyond the lofty Taniangtaweng Mountain and Nu Mountain to the west of the Lancang River, the valley steepens into the treacherous Nu River. East of Sharuli Mountain on the left bank lies the largest tributary of the Jinsha River, the Yalong River. These major rivers are tightly bound by high mountains, generally flowing south in parallel, forming a unique geographical unit in the Hengduan Mountains with jagged peaks and rivers running side by side.

The upper Jinsha River segment is characterized by lofty mountains and deep valleys, with steep cliffs and slopes reaching 35°-45°, and in some sections, cliffs and steep slopes exceeding 60°-70° between Dengke and Benzilan, spanning nearly 600 kilometers of deep valleys with a height difference of 1,500-2,000 meters. Due to the narrow range between watershed divides, the average basin width is about 120 kilometers, narrowest near Dengke at only 50-60 kilometers, and widest near Baiyu County at no more than 150 kilometers. The basin’s limited width restricts the development of tributaries, resulting in a dendritic drainage pattern resembling a tree branch, with short tributaries perpendicular to the main stem forming an “Y” shaped water network structure.

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The middle section of the Jinsha River spans approximately 1,220 kilometers from Shigu Town, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, to Xinshi Town, Sichuan Province, flowing swiftly between the two provinces. After passing through Shigu (Shigu Town, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County), the Jinsha River abruptly changes course from southeast to northeast, forming a distinctive “U”-shaped bend, known as the “First Bend of the Yangtze River in Ten Thousand Li.” During the Red Army’s Long March north in April 1936, they crossed the Jinsha River at the gentle Shigu Ferry crossing.

Below Shigu, the river narrows, passing through Shuoduogang River Mouth on the left bank, near Qiaotou Town in Zhongdian County, and shortly after enters the world-renowned Tiger Leaping Gorge. The upper and lower mouths of the gorge are only 16 kilometers apart, with a staggering drop of 220 meters. With an average gradient of 13.8‰, it represents the most concentrated drop along the Jinsha River. At its widest point, the gorge’s water surface spans 60 meters, narrowing to just 30 meters at its narrowest, with giant boulders standing in the middle, rumored to have been leapt by a tiger, hence its name “Tiger Leaping Rock” and the gorge itself.

Inside the gorge, rapids roar and waves crash, with maximum flow speeds reaching 10 meters per second. On the right bank rises the 5,596-meter-high Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, while on the left stands the 5,396-meter-high Haba Snow Mountain, both perpetually snow-covered. The river’s surface within the gorge is less than 1,800 meters above sea level, with peaks and valleys reaching a height difference of over 3,000 meters. The valley slopes steeply, with sheer cliffs forming a youthful “V”-shaped canyon landscape.

Flowing out of Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Jinsha River continues northeast to Sanjiangkou (the junction of Labo Township, Ninglang County, Luoji Township, Shangri-La County, Fengke Township, Yulong County, and Oya Township, Muli County), where it turns sharply southward along the left bank between Mianmian Mountain and the right bank Yulong Mountain. The left bank receives the Shuiluo River, and the right bank receives the Heibaishui River.

Passing the mouth of Wulang River on the left bank (located in Songping Township, Yongsheng County, Yunnan Province, where the Jinsha River enters from the northern part of the county, flows southward through Da’an and Shunzhou, then turns eastward via Taoyuan, Pianjiao, Dongfeng, Renhe Townships, and exits after a course of 215 kilometers [6]), near Jinjiang Bridge, there was once a planned site for the Zili Water Conservancy Hub Dam. The large bend from Renhe below Shigu to Zili in the southern segment of the big bend stretches the riverbed for 264 kilometers, whereas the straight-line distance is only 32 kilometers. With a drop of 550 meters, the average gradient reaches 17.2‰. Therefore, there were plans for tunneling and harnessing the potential of the large bend’s drop for hydroelectric development. The river flows southward, receiving the Yanggong River on the right bank at Zhongjiang Street, and only west of Jinjiang Street does it turn eastward.

(The upper section mainly traverses four counties in Lijiang City, spanning a length of 651 kilometers. It enters from Tacheng in the northwest corner of Lijiang County, turns sharply northeast at Shigu, forming the famous first bend of the Yangtze River, between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain. It further forms the world-renowned Tiger Leaping Gorge, with cliffs on both sides rising sharply, with a height difference of 3,790 meters, harboring extremely rich hydraulic resources. After entering Ninglang County, it turns south again, then bends eastward at the southern border of Yongsheng County, passing through Huaping County before flowing into Sichuan Province. The annual average flow rate is 1541.9 cubic meters per second, with an average annual transit volume of 44 billion cubic meters .)

Passing through the boundaries of Dali Prefecture and Chuxiong Prefecture in Yunnan Province, including Jinjiang Suspension Bridge, Pi Factory, Yupojiang on the right bank, Wanbi, Guanyinyan, Half Street to Panzhihua City.

At the hydrological station of Panzhihua, 15 kilometers downstream, the largest tributary of the Jinsha River, the Yalong River, joins from the left bank. After the confluence of the Yalong River, the flow rate doubles, and the river turns southward until it bends northeast near the Longchuan River mouth on the right bank (within Yuanmou County, within 34 kilometers of the mouth), then subsequently receives the Mengguo River on the right bank (within Wuding County segment 34 kilometers), the Pulong River on the left bank until it reaches Jiaopingdu. This crossing was once a shortcut connecting central Yunnan to southwestern Sichuan. In May 1935, more than 30,000 troops of the Red First Army fought for 7 days and nights using seven small boats to forcibly cross the Jinsha River, breaking through encirclement and achieving a decisive victory in the strategic shift of the Long March.

After passing through Jiaopingdu, the Yuhe River joins from the left bank, and then the Jinsha River makes a southward and then eastward bend. During this period, there were plans for the Wudongde and Lurajia water conservancy hub dam sites, continuing eastward into the largest rapids of the middle reaches of the Jinsha River—Laojun Tan (between Luhe and Pu Mie in Huixian County, Sichuan). The rapids are 4,360 meters long with a drop of 41 meters, averaging a gradient of 9.4‰, constituting a perennially hazardous rapid with a maximum flow speed of 9.7 meters per second. Laojun Tan is the largest obstacle affecting the navigation of the Jinsha River below Panzhihua City.

1.6 kilometers downstream of Laojun Tan, the Pudu River joins from the right bank, passing through Dongchuan City’s Yinzishan, the Jinsha River turns northward, and the Xiaojiang, famous for mudslides, joins from the right bank, continuing northward, passing through Mengu Township’s Yuli River from the right bank, passing through Qiaojia County, joining from the left bank Heishui River, passing through Baihetan, joining from the left bank, West Creek River, and then northeastward to Mazhuang Village in Zhaotong City, passing through the major tributary Niu Lan River from the right bank, passing through Ma Lao Shan in Dalingshan, passing through Longshan County, Yongshan County’s Xieluo Du Water Conservancy Hub Dam, flowing northward for more than 70 kilometers to Xincheng Town, Pingshan County.

In the middle and upper reaches of the Jinsha River, except for Jinjiang Street, Sandui, and Longjie in the middle and upper reaches, Menggu, Qiaojia, and other places are open “U”-shaped river valleys (valley bottoms are 200-500 meters wide, up to 1000-2000 meters wide, and water surfaces are 100-200 meters wide). Most other sections of the river are continuous “V”-shaped canyons, with the situation at Tiger Leaping Gorge as described above. The mountains on both sides of the other sections of the river are about 1500-3000 meters above sea level, with a height difference of about 1000 meters between ridges and valleys, and the canyon bottom is 150-250 meters wide, narrowing to 100-150 meters at the narrowest point, with a water surface width of 80-100 meters. Therefore, the forms of the river valleys in the middle and upper reaches of the Jinsha River are extremely majestic.