A visual essay on the Yangtze River

The Yangtze: from the Dam Qu source to Shanghai, in 2026 figures

From Jari Hill to the East China Sea: seven chapters on China's longest river — and on 2026, the best-documented year in its history. M01 M16 M35

The length always carries a qualifier, the porpoise has two counts that must not be mixed, and the dam reached 173 million tons 19 years ahead of design. M01 M16 M18 M35

6,236 kmlength with the Dam Qu included, the longest source M01

1,426porpoises in 2025 · basin census · +177 since 2022 M16

173 Mtthrough the dam in 2025 · 100 Mt design M35

55.06M TEUShanghai 2025 · 16th straight year first M37

Qutang Gorge cliffs above the Yangtze, December 2009 — Qutang Gorge from Baidicheng (2 Dec 2009). The shortest of the Three Gorges, where the river narrows to 100–200 m. M41Tan Wei Liang Byorn · 2 Dec 2009 · CC BY 3.0

LENGTH

How long is the Yangtze? Depends what you put inside

The Yangtze is China's longest river and the world's third-longest; it runs from Jari Hill in the Tanggula to the East China Sea through a basin one-fifth of the country, home to nearly one-third of its people. Academy geographers call it "over 6,300 kilometers long" and the "golden watercourse". M01 M02

The infobox, though, keeps two numbers at once: 6,300 km and 6,374 km on the Yangtze–Jinsha–Tongtian–Dam Qu tracing — and the mean discharge at the Shanghai estuary, 995.8 km³ a year, holds only for its station and period, 1955–2021. M04

In China the river is Chang Jiang, the "long river"; "Yangtze", "child of the ocean", is the Westerners' name for a small section near the mouth, stretched across the whole. M07

No Yangtze length is written without a qualifier: every figure carries its source and tracing with it. M01 M04

THE QUALIFIED FIGURE

6,236 km, Dam Qu included

Wikipedia: "flows for 6,236 kilometers, including the Dam Qu River, the longest source". M01

The 6,236 km hold only together with the Dam Qu, "the longest source of the Yangtze". Without that clause the figure is shorthand — with it, a measurement with named ends. M01

THE INFOBOX PAIR

6,300 and 6,374, two tracings

The infobox gives 6,300 km and, separately, 6,374 km on the full tracing. M04

The two numbers do not contradict: they are two tracings. And the 995.8 km³-a-year mean belongs to the Shanghai Estuary station, period 1955–2021 — station, period and unit, always together. M04

THE HEADWATER

Dam Qu first, Tuotuo after

Dam Qu is source no. 1; the Tuotuo stays "a headwater stream". M05 M06

The infobox lists the Dam Qu (Jari Hill) as the primary source, at 5,170 m elevation, and the Ulan Moron second; the Tuotuo is only "a headwater stream", Maqu in Tibetan, the "Red River". That hierarchy belongs to the page's editors. M05 M06

THE NAME AND THE BASIN

Chang Jiang, with 700 tributaries

Chang Jiang at home, Yangtze abroad; about 700 tributaries. M07 M08 M09

At home the river is Chang Jiang, the "long river"; "Yangtze" is the Western name for a small section near the mouth. It is fed by about 700 tributaries, eight of them principal — Yalung, Min, Jialing, Han, Wu, Yuan, Xiang and Gan — and the basin it alone drains covers about 1.8 million km², one-fifth of China. M07 M08 M09

Photos and maps · credit and date on every image

Current Yangtze locator, with the five reaches, the Three Gorges Dam, the Qutang, Wu and Xiling gorges, Nanjing Bridge, the cities of Chongqing and Shanghai, Yangshan port and the Hankou anchor. — OpenStreetMap geometry from the dated 2026-10-06 extract. Locator, not a nautical chart. The river trunk is assembled from small per-chapter bbox geometries; city and port labels are geometry-derived, not named OSM points. The hydrological Hankou station has no OSM object, so its anchor is a railway-station proxy and none is invented. · © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0 M40

Chaotianmen Bridge at Chongqing in dusk fog, January 2026 — Chaotianmen Bridge over the Chongqing reach at dusk in fog (19 Jan 2026). A modern city frame of the upper river. M48Daniel Lu ( User:dllu ) · 19 Jan 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

MODIS view of the Yangtze mouth sediment plume, October 2000 — The Yangtze mouth from MODIS (25 Oct 2000): sediment fanning into the East China Sea. A year-2000 satellite frame — not a current plume boundary. M49Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Science Team · 25 Oct 2000 · Public domain

Length-convention schematic: 6,236 km with Dam Qu included, 6,300 and 6,374 km on the full tracing, over 6,300 km CAS–Xinhua. — The length-convention schematic is conceptual artwork, separate from OSM geometry; not a measurement. The porpoise-trajectory schematic shows the basin census, not the study subset. M01 M04

SANXIA

Qutang, Wuxia, Xiling: Sanxia

"The most impressive section of the river" is, for Academy geographers, the three gorges: Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling — together Sanxia, the Three Gorges. Only their order downstream sets them apart: Qutang up, Xiling down toward Yichang. M02

Three gorges, three photographs, one collective name: Sanxia. M02 M10

THE UPPER GORGE

Qutang: 8 km of spectacle

The shortest and most spectacular of the three. M10

Qutang runs 8 km from Baidicheng (Fengjie) to Daxizhen (Wushan), in Chongqing; here the river narrows to 100–200 m wide. The photograph is taken from Baidicheng itself, in December 2009. M10

THE MIDDLE GORGE

Wuxia, the middle gorge

Wuxia stands between Qutang and Xiling, in the Sanxia trio. M02

The trio's second gorge is Wuxia, in Wushan; the October 2016 frame catches it along the water. The collective name Sanxia — the Three Gorges — binds all three into a single reach. M02

THE LOWER GORGE

Xiling, the downstream gate

Xiling is the last gorge before the plain. M02

The third gorge, Xiling, descends toward Yichang and the river plain; the June 2014 photograph shows it at low reservoir level. Beyond it begins the dam reach. M02

Photos and maps · credit and date on every image

Wu Gorge on the Yangtze, October 2016 — Wu Gorge (2 Oct 2016). The middle gorge of the Sanxia trio, between Qutang and Xiling. M42Fredlyfish4 · 2 Oct 2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Xiling Gorge on the Yangtze, June 2014 — Xiling Gorge (8 Jun 2014), at low reservoir level. The lower gorge, toward Yichang. M43Ekrem Canli · 8 Jun 2014 · CC BY-SA 3.0

THE DAM

The dam that reached capacity too early

The dam body — 185 meters high and 2,309 meters wide — was completed in 2006, the plant went fully operational in 2012, the ship lift in 2015; by June 2008 China had moved 1.24 million residents, as far as Gaoyang in Hebei. Another caption gives 2,335 m long and 185 m above sea level at the top — a different measure of a different thing. M11 M14

NASA keeps the July 2000 – May 2006 pair: in 2000 muddy water still ran through a narrow south-bank channel, with "likely a system of temporary locks" glimpsed on the north bank. On 15 May 2006 Chinese media announced the last concrete poured. M15

22,500 MW installed, 1.24 million people moved, 173 million tons in one year: the dam is measured in three units at once. M11 M14 M35

INSTALLED POWER

22,500 MW, first in the world

The world's largest hydro plant, far ahead of Baihetan. M11

Thirty-two 700 MW turbines plus two 50 MW units give some 22,500 MW — "far more" than the runner-up, the 16,000 MW Baihetan Dam, also in China. The dam improves shipping and shields millions on the Yangtze Plain from flooding. M11

THE RESERVOIR

A 600 km lake

600 km maximum length; 101.6 TWh in 2018, about 112 TWh after the 2020 monsoons. M12

The reservoir runs 600 km at most, with a normal elevation of 175 m and 39.3 km³ total capacity. It generated 101.6 TWh in 2018, then about 112 TWh in a year after the 2020 monsoons, breaking Itaipu's 103 TWh record of 2016. M12

THE LOCKS

From 10 to 100 million tonnes

Two five-stage series, about 4 hours transit, 280 × 35 × 5 m chambers. M13

Two lock series of five stages each pass ships of up to 10,000 tons in about four hours; the chambers are 280 m long, 35 m wide and 5 m deep. The project promised shipping leaping from ten to 100 million tonnes a year, at roughly one-third lower cost. M13

THE NEW ROAD

173 Mt in 2025, 336 Mt at completion

The 100 Mt target, hit 19 years early; new works since 8 June 2026. M35 M36

In 2025, 173 million tons passed the dam, "far exceeding its designed capacity", and the 100 Mt target had been hit 19 years ahead of schedule. On 8 June 2026 the new waterway broke ground — the first landmark of the 2026–30 five-year plan — with a double lock about 6,680 m long, chambers 280 m by 40 m bottom width, toward 336 million tons a year. M35 M36

Photos and maps · credit and date on every image

Three Gorges Dam ship locks, April 2015 — The Three Gorges ship locks in operation (11 Apr 2015). Two five-stage series; the chambers are 280 m long. M44Photnart · 11 Apr 2015 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Three Gorges reservoir from orbit, April 2009 — Flooding behind the dam seen from orbit, north-up (15 Apr 2009, NASA Expedition 19 crew). A construction-era frame, not a current reservoir survey. M45This image was taken by the NASA Expedition 19 crew. · 15 Apr 2009 · Public domain

Three Gorges Dam locks under construction, derived file 2014 — The dam locks under construction (derived file, 2014). A building-phase view that pairs with the 2000/2006 NASA pair — file dated 2014, never the phase itself. M50Yogho on de.wikipedia derivative work: MagentaGreen · 2 Nov 2014 · CC BY-SA 3.0

THE PORPOISE

The returning porpoise, the departed dolphin

On 30 January 2026 the agriculture ministry announced: the Yangtze finless porpoise, the river's only freshwater porpoise, had risen to 1,426 in 2025 — 177 more than in 2022. From about 2,700 in the early 1990s it had fallen to 1,012 by 2017; the targets are about 1,700 by 2030 and 2,000 by 2035. At Nanjing, wild porpoises are now seen in the urban reach nearly six months of the year. M16 M39

Mind the two counts: the basin census — 1,012 in 2017, about 1,249 in 2022, 1,426 in 2025 — is not the same as the study-monitored subpopulation, which grew from 445 in 2017 to 595 in 2022, "a gain of one-third". Both are true; neither replaces the other. M18

On 22 May 2026 "Little 26" was born, the first recorded head-first delivery in the managed population — 70 cm and about 5 kg at birth, over 80 cm and about 9 kg at one month. Beyond the river, a five-zone conservation network holds over 150 individuals, with more than ten calves a year, and the Institute of Hydrobiology has built a freshwater-cetacean sperm bank. M17 M25

The basin census says how many swim the whole river; the study-monitored subpopulation says how many the Science paper tracked. M16 M18

THE BASIN CENSUS

1,426 porpoises in 2025

Announced 30 January 2026: "risen to 1,426 in 2025". M16

The population "has risen to 1,426 in 2025", up 177 on the 2022 assessment — a continued recovery since the decade-long ban launched in 2021, the ministry says. The species is first-class protected, and its status is the river's ecological "barometer". M16

THE TRAJECTORY

Back from 1,012

2,700 in the 1990s, 1,012 in 2017, about 1,249 in 2022, 1,426 in 2025. M16 M17

From about 2,700 in the early 1990s the species had fallen to just 1,012 by 2017; the roughly 1,249 of 2022 marked the first reversal of the long decline. The difference 1,426 − 1,249 is exactly 177 — a cross-check, not a new figure. M16 M17

WHAT WAS LOST

Baiji: "possibly extinct"

"Possibly extinct" — the cautious wording is itself the information. M20 M21 M22

The baiji, the "Goddess of the Yangtze", is "possibly extinct" — perhaps the first dolphin humans drove out — and has not been definitively seen for over 20 years, several surveys failing to find it. From 3,000–5,000 before 1900 fewer than ten may remain; since 2002 no certain sighting, and the species is "widely considered functionally extinct". M20 M21 M22

THE PORPOISE CITY

Six months a year, at Nanjing

One of few big cities with wild porpoises in the urban sector. M39

Nanjing has become one of the few major Chinese cities where wild porpoises are regularly spotted in urban reaches nearly six months of the year. The story drew over 300 volunteers from more than ten countries, the Nanjing conservation association says. M39

Photos and maps · credit and date on every image

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, December 2011 — Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (10 Dec 2011), over the urban reach where wild porpoises are now spotted nearly six months of the year. A bridge vista, not a wildlife frame. M46Jack No1 · 10 Dec 2011 · CC BY 3.0

Captive Yangtze finless porpoise at Wuhan, February 2008 — A Yangtze finless porpoise at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Wuhan (12 Feb 2008). A captive individual — the wild census is a separate count. M47Huangdan2060 · 12 Feb 2008 · CC BY 3.0

Porpoise-trajectory schematic: basin census 1,012 in 2017, 1,249 in 2022, 1,426 in 2025, plus the study subset 445 → 595. — The length-convention schematic is conceptual artwork, separate from OSM geometry; not a measurement. The porpoise-trajectory schematic shows the basin census, not the study subset. M16 M18

THE BAN

Ten years without fishing, seven decades of decline stopped

On 12 February 2026 Science published the study by Prof. Chen Yushun's team at the CAS Institute of Hydrobiology: the ban "has not only halted the 70-year decline in fish resources but has also triggered an initial recovery". The data come from systematic 2018–2023 monitoring of main-channel fish communities, before and after full enforcement. M19

Larger-bodied species gained most; the Yangtze sturgeon, Chinese sucker and tube fish show recovery "although still rare", while Acipenser sinensis "still faces an uncertain future". Structural equation models show the ban was the primary driver — with help from lighter vessel traffic, riparian buffers and cleaner water. M19

Seventy years of decline stopped by a ten-year ban — 2026's internationally reviewed verdict. M19

THE SCIENCE PAPER

70 years of decline, halted

"Fishing ban halts seven decades of biodiversity decline". M19

The IHB/CAS team with domestic and international collaborators analysed richness, biomass, abundance, evenness and beta diversity on the main channel. The paper's title says it all: the ban halted seven decades of biodiversity decline. M19

PHASED RESULTS

351 species, doubled resources

The ministry, 31 March 2026: 351 indigenous species monitored. M23

From 2021 to 2025, 351 indigenous species were monitored, 43 more than before the ban, and the main stream's "monitored unit volume of resources" recovered in 2025 to twice the pre-ban level — the ministry's term, not biomass. Fishery criminal cases fell in 2025 by "nearly 40 percent" year on year. M23

HOW IT STARTED

From 332 areas to ten years

Full ban in 332 areas, widened to a moratorium in 2021. M24

In January 2020 China fully banned fishing in 332 Yangtze conservation areas; in 2021 the measure widened to a ten-year moratorium on main streams and major tributaries. From 2021 to 2024, 344 indigenous species had been monitored, 36 more than before — an older step on the same ladder. M24

GUARDING THE BAN

The $14 mouse and the AI cat

Campaign since February 2024; at Wuhan, sub-100-yuan rigs versus 90%+ AI. M30 M31

Police solved over 5,200 criminal cases and dismantled more than 710 gangs in the campaign launched in February 2024 — illegal fishing, unlicensed sand mining, water crime. At Wuhan, nine snag-fishing cases were uncovered in the middle reaches in 2025; the gear "often" costs "under 100 yuan (US$14)", while AI video analysis "now achieves over 90 percent accuracy" — NewsChina reports, its issue year (March, year inferred: 2026) unprinted on the page. M30 M31

WATER

Water you can see in figures

For six straight years the main stream stayed at Grade II — Xinhua counts the national system as "five-tier", SCIO counts the same surface-water I–V as "six-tier"; both names count the same scale. Across the basin, 98.1% of monitored sections stood at or above Grade II in 2022, up one percentage point. M27 M29

The September 2022 action plan, signed by 17 authorities, required basin water to "remain sound" by end-2025 and the main stream to "stay at Grade II". The figures reported in 2026 for the year 2025 are what the target is checked against — and the "target met" verdict stays with the cited official data. M28

Grade II six years running, phosphorus halved: water as proof the ban did not work alone. M26 M27

THE 2025 BALANCE

98.9% Grades I–III

CGTN, 12 May 2026, data year 2025: "excellent water quality". M26

In 2025 the main stream and tributaries were "generally rated as having excellent water quality", with 98.9% of monitored sections meeting Grade I–III standards. On land: nearly 10,000 chemical firms shut, upgraded, moved or converted; 162 km of shoreline restored; 12.25 million m² of bank vegetation replanted; 1,361 illegal docks rectified; over 200,000 sewage outlets standardized. M26

THE SIX-YEAR RUN

Six years of Grade II

"Hard-won", says the MEE official: black and malodorous waters over 90% cleared. M27 M29

The MEE official calls the decade's rise "hard-won": the main stream at Grade II six years running, over 90% of county-city black and malodorous waters cleared, basin phosphorus down over 40% from ten years ago. The 2023 baseline gave the trunk its third straight Grade II year — the run is arithmetically consistent. M27 M29

THE 2022 TARGET

Target: the end of 2025

"Sound" basin and Grade II main stream by the end of 2025. M28

The 2022 basin protection and restoration action plan — issued by 17 government authorities — set the end-2025 horizon. The frame is target-versus-outcome: M28 promises, M26 and M27 report. M28

THE JULY FLOOD

25.11 m at Hankou

Hankou station, 25.11 m — 0.11 m above the warning mark. M32

After heavy rain the Wuhan section rose visibly on Wednesday 8 July 2026: the level at Hankou station reached 25.11 meters, 0.11 meters above the warning mark — the mark itself, 25.00 m, is arithmetically derived and said so. 8 July photos show submerged platforms and levee checks. M32

THE ECONOMY

The belt that makes half of China

The Yangtze River Economic Belt — eleven regions, a 2016 initiative — more than doubled its regional GDP in a decade and now contributes 47.3% of national output, from 42.2% ten years ago, while good-water sections rose from 67% to 96.5%. The river trunk "has remained the world's busiest inland waterway". M33

Two 4.2s that are not the same thing: trunk and ports are measured apart. M33 M34

THE ECONOMIC BELT

47.3% of China

Regional GDP "more than double" in a decade; 47.3% of national. M33

The NDRC deputy head announced on 5 January 2026: belt GDP "more than double" in a decade, the national share up from 42.2% to 47.3%, good-water sections leaping from 67% to 96.5%. Growth and ecology on the same roadmap. M33

THE TWO 4.2s

4.2 billion, twice

4.2B tonnes on the trunk over a decade (+71%) and 4.2B tons at mainline ports in 2025. M33 M34

Annual trunk cargo grew 71% to 4.2 billion tonnes over the decade — "tonnes", says Xinhua. Separately, in 2025 belt GDP topped 65 trillion yuan and "mainline port cargo throughput" hit 4.2 billion tons — "tons", says the NDRC researcher — over 80% above national rail freight. Same 4.2, two measurands: never merged. M33 M34

THE MOUTH PORT

55.06 million TEU at Shanghai

SIPG: 55.06M TEU in 2025, +6.9%; ContainerNews corroborates at +7%. M37 M38

Shanghai port handled 55.06 million TEU in 2025 — its 16th straight year as the world's busiest container port — up 6.9% per the Maritime Executive and 7% from 51.51 million per ContainerNews: rounding across outlets, not conflict. Total cargo reached 600 million tons, Yangshan past half the complex. M37 M38

Sources for this passage

Sources and limits

Annotations retain the status in the source ledger.

M01 · Wikipedia — the 6,236 km Yangtze with its Dam Qu qualifier
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze
M02 · CAS geographers — the Yangtze over 6,300 km
institute geography page · official-link-unverified
http://english.igsnrr.cas.cn/ecg/naturalscenery/rivers/202011/t20201119_251611.html
M04 · Wikipedia infobox — the 6,300 / 6,374 km pair and estuary discharge
raw infobox data · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze
M05 · Wikipedia infobox — Dam Qu as source, Ulan Moron second
raw infobox data · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze
M06 · Wikipedia — the Tuotuo as headwater stream
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze
M07 · LiveScience — Chang Jiang vs Yangtze
popular-science summary · official-link-unverified
https://www.livescience.com/57905-yangtze-river-facts.html
M08 · LiveScience via Britannica — 700 tributaries
second-hand encyclopedia report · official-link-unverified
https://www.livescience.com/57905-yangtze-river-facts.html
M09 · NASA Earth Observatory — the 1.8M km² basin and winter plume
space-agency captioned imagery · official-link-unverified
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152478/sediment-fans-out-over-the-yangtze-bank
M10 · CAS geographers — Qutang Gorge, 8 km
institute geography page · official-link-unverified
http://english.igsnrr.cas.cn/ecg/naturalscenery/rivers/202011/t20201119_251611.html
M11 · Wikipedia — the dam body and its 22,500 MW
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam
M12 · Wikipedia — reservoir and generation records
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam
M13 · Wikipedia — ship locks and the 10M to 100M tonnes goal
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam
M14 · Wikipedia — 1.24 million residents moved by June 2008
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam
M15 · NASA Earth Observatory — the 2000/2006 construction pair
space-agency captioned imagery · official-link-unverified
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/6574/three-gorges-dam-china
M16 · Agriculture ministry, Feb 2026 — porpoise census 1,426
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
http://english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2026-02/02/content_118311962.html
M17 · People's Daily, Jul 2026 — calf Little 26 and the 2022 reversal
dated news report · official-link-unverified
https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0701/c98649-20473113.html
M18 · CAS, Feb 2026 — the study subset 445 to 595
academy release · official-link-unverified
http://english.cas.ac.cn/newsroom/research-news/202602/t20260213_1150949.shtml
M19 · CAS, Feb 2026 — the Science paper on the ban
academy release · official-link-unverified
http://english.cas.ac.cn/newsroom/research-news/202602/t20260213_1150949.shtml
M20 · Wikipedia — the possibly extinct baiji
tertiary summary with cited provenance · official-link-unverified
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baiji
M21 · SeaWorld — baiji numbers 3,000–5,000 to under 10
aquarium fact sheet · official-link-unverified
https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/mammals/baiji/
M22 · AnimalStreets — functionally extinct since 2002
popular reference profile · official-link-unverified
https://animalstreets.com/mammals/marine-mammals/toothed-whales/river-dolphins/yangtze-river-dolphin/
M23 · Xinhua, Apr 2026 — phased ban results: 351 species
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0401/c90000-20442178.html · https://english.www.gov.cn/english.www.gov.cn/news/202604/01/content_WS69cca8bfc6d00ca5f9a0a32c.html
M24 · Xinhua, Jan 2026 — 332 areas to a ten-year moratorium
dated news report · official-link-unverified
https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0106/c90000-20410517.html
M25 · Agriculture ministry, Feb 2026 — the ex-situ network
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
http://english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2026-02/02/content_118311962.html
M26 · CGTN, May 2026 — 98.9% Grade I–III in 2025
state-media data-year report · official-link-unverified
https://peoplesdaily.pdnews.cn/china/er/30052112860
M27 · MEE, Jan 2026 — Grade II for six straight years
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0106/c90000-20410517.html
M28 · Xinhua, Sep 2022 — the action plan target for end-2025
dated plan report · official-link-unverified
http://english.scio.gov.cn/chinavoices/2022-09/20/content_78428904.htm
M29 · MEE via gov.cn/SCIO, 2023 — the 2022 Grade II baseline
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
https://english.www.gov.cn/statecouncil/ministries/202302/22/content_WS63f620c4c6d0a757729e719a.html · http://english.scio.gov.cn/in-depth/2023-08/16/content_103399651.htm
M30 · Public Security, Dec 2024 — 5,200 cases, 710 gangs
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
http://english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2024-12/25/content_117627518.html
M31 · NewsChina — Wuhan snag-fishing and AI video
magazine feature, year inferred · official-link-unverified
http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=8465
M32 · Xinhua, Jul 2026 — Hankou 25.11 m
dated news report · official-link-unverified
https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0709/c90000-20476067.html
M33 · NDRC, Jan 2026 — the belt at 47.3% and the 4.2B-tonne trunk
NDRC via state media · official-link-unverified
https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0106/c90000-20410517.html · http://english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2026-01/05/content_118262329.html
M34 · NDRC researcher, Jun 2026 — 65T yuan and 4.2B-ton mainline ports
researcher via state media · official-link-unverified
https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/634657
M35 · Xinhua via Global Times, Jun 2026 — 173 Mt through the dam
dated news report · official-link-unverified
https://peoplesdaily.pdnews.cn/china/er/30052352178
M36 · Global Times, Jun 2026 — the new waterway to 336 Mt
dated news report · official-link-unverified
https://peoplesdaily.pdnews.cn/china/er/30052352178
M37 · IndexBox, Jan 2026 — Shanghai 55.06M TEU, 16th year first
trade-press tally report · official-link-unverified
https://www.globaltrademag.com/shanghai-port-leads-world-with-55m-teu-in-2025-16th-year-as-busiest/
M38 · ContainerNews, Aug 2026 — 55.06M TEU corroborated
trade-press tally report · official-link-unverified
https://container-news.com/global-container-port-throughput-exceeds-1-billion-teu-in-2025/
M39 · MEE via SCIO, Jul 2026 — Nanjing porpoises six months a year
ministry via state media · official-link-unverified
http://english.scio.gov.cn/internationalexchanges/2026-07/01/content_118577172.html
M40 · OpenStreetMap — Yangtze relation, dam, gorges, cities, ports
OpenStreetMap records · official-link-unverified
https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9392345 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/894098127 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4145985089 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3253807502 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/13665033200 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/756599299 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/734098547 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/778910398 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/288011754 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/2492403981
M41 · Commons V01 — Qutang Gorge on Changjiang
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qutang%20Gorge%20on%20Changjiang.jpg
M42 · Commons V02 — Wu Gorge 2016
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wu%20Gorge%202016%206.jpg
M43 · Commons V03 — Xiling Gorge 2014
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xiling%20Gorge%202014.jpg
M44 · Commons V04 — Three Gorges Dam Ship Locks
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three%20Gorges%20Dam%20Ship%20Locks.jpg
M45 · Commons V05 — Three Gorges Dam from orbit
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three%20Gorges%20Dam%2C%20China.jpg
M46 · Commons V06 — Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nanjing%20Yangtze%20River%20Bridge.jpg
M47 · Commons V07 — Yangtze finless porpoise, IHB Wuhan
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yangtze%20finless%20porpoise%2C%2012%20February%202008a.jpg
M48 · Commons V08 — Chaotianmen Bridge, Chongqing, Jan 2026
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chaotianmen%20Bridge%20Chongqing%20Yangtze%20River%20dusk%20fog%202026%20dllu.jpg
M49 · Commons V09 — MODIS mouth of the Yangtze, 2000
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MODIS%20MOUTH%20OF%20THE%20YANGTZE.jpg
M50 · Commons V10 — Locks of the Three Gorges Dam (derived file)
Commons original, scaffold-read metadata · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Locks%20of%20the%20Three%20Gorges%20Dam.jpg