The Yangtze River is about 6,397 kilometers long, ranking third in the world, after the Nile River in Africa and the Amazon River in South America.
The boundless falling trees are falling, and the Yangtze River is rolling. The Yangtze River is so long, so where is its source?
Let's look at three important nodes in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River: Yibin in Sichuan, Yushu in Qinghai, and Balong in Qinghai.
【Yibin, Sichuan】
Yibin is located in the southwest of the Sichuan Basin, bordering Bashan Chushui in the east, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the south, Liangshan barrier in the west, and Chengdu Plain in the north. Yibin is located at the confluence of the Jinsha River and the Min River, which is called the Yangtze River after the confluence of the two rivers, and the elevation of the river is about 260 meters. In ancient times, the Minjiang River was passed by the boat, and the Jinsha River was folded between the barbarian streams, and the water and land could not be traced.
Yibin is the "first city of the Yangtze River", born and prospered because of water, and has been a port city since ancient times. Yangtze River water, mother river. The difficulty is in the beginning, and the most important thing is in the beginning. Since the beginning of the Yangtze River, the thousand-year-old ancient town has become famous.
In ancient times, the Minjiang River was passed by the boat, and the Jinsha River was folded between the barbarian streams, and the water and land could not be traced. Jinsha comes from the snow ridge, and Minshui arrives through Tsing Yi. The green waves are churning, like a place where heroes are used, and the blue waves are rippling, like a beautiful woman going to the Moon Palace.
The Min River originates from the Minshan Mountains, passes through the western part of the Sichuan Basin from north to south, and joins the Yangtze River. The Min River is about 711 kilometers long and has an average flow of 2,830 cubic meters per second (including the Dadu River), and the Dadu River-Min River is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River. The Minjiang River is not as long as the Dadu River, and the water volume is not as large as the Dadu River, but the Minjiang River is relatively long in the plain area, and the Minjiang River is the source in ancient times, and this ancient culture is still continued today.
During the Warring States Period, Li Bing, the Taishou of Shu County of Qin State, built Dujiangyan on the Min River, this water conservancy project benefited the Sichuan Basin for more than 2,000 years, and the reputation of "the land of abundance" was inseparable from Dujiangyan. The length of the Minjiang River from Dujiangyan to Yibin is about 370 kilometers, which is much longer than the length of the Jinsha River in the plain of the Sichuan Basin.
During the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake explored the source of mountains and rivers, and wrote in "Tracing the Source of the River": "Those who push the source of the river must be headed by Jinsha." Xu Xiake determined that the Jinsha River is the source of the Yangtze River, and that the Dadu River, a tributary of the Min River, is also longer than the Min River.
Figure - Dadu River and Min River
The section of the Yangtze River in the upper reaches of Yibin is called the Jinsha River, from below Yibin, the Yangtze River passes away in the east, passes through Luzhou and Chongqing, and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River cuts through Wushan and Sichuan.
【Qinghai Yushu】
Qinghai Yushu is located at the confluence of the Tongtian River and the Batang River, and the estuary is about 3,200 meters above sea level. In classical times, this was close to the limit of human life for a long time.
The section of the Yangtze River from Yushu to Yibin is called the Jinsha River, and the Yangtze River in the upper reaches of Yushu is called the Tongtian River. The altitude to the west of Yushu is getting higher and higher, people don't know how long the Yangtze River is, the water of the Yellow River comes from the sky, the Yangtze River and the source of the Yellow River are in Qinghai, this poem is used in the Yangtze River is the same, the ancients named the Yangtze River in the upper reaches of Yushu as Tongtian River.
The Tang Dynasty and the Tibetan Wars continued, the Silk Road was further developed, and Xuanzang and others traveled westward to deepen their understanding of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. After the Tang Dynasty, the upper source of the Jinsha River was determined to be the Tongtian River.
In "Journey to the West", the only place that Tang monks and apprentices pass through on their way to and from home is Tongtian River.
【Qinghai Nangji Balong】
Qinghai Nangji Balong is located at the confluence of Tuotuo River and Dangqu, with an elevation of about 4,476 meters. The section of the Yangtze River from Nangji Balong to Yushu is called Tongtian River. The Tuotuo River and Dangqu basins west of Nangji Balong are called the source area of the Yangtze River, and the water volume accounts for 2% of the total water volume of the Yangtze River.
There are three major tributaries of the Tongtian River, from north to south, there are Chumaer River, Tuotuo River, Dangqu, these three major rivers are called the north source, the middle source and the south source of the Yangtze River during the Qing Dynasty. The yellow clouds are moving, and the white waves are nine snow-capped mountains.
The length of these three rivers is comparable, and it was not until 2008 that the scientific expedition team used advanced technology to comprehensively measure it.
After precise calculations, the Chumar River flows into the middle reaches of the Tongtian River, so it is slightly shorter. Zhongyuan Tuotuo River and Nanyuan Dangqu are not up and down, let's look at the specific data.
There are two branches in the upper reaches of the Tuotuo River, of which the length of the glacier from Nangji Balong to Gachadiru is 348,636.2 meters, and the length of the glacier is 343,724.8 meters.
There are four branches in the upper reaches of Dangqu, among which the length of the Rangji Balong to Chawuqu is 316,880.8 meters, the length of the Sayangqu is 332,525.8 meters, the length of the Dangqu is 360,337.8 meters, and the length of the Chaoneng is 359,695.1 meters.
The results came out, the Tuotuo River is 348,636.2 meters long, the Dangqu is 360,337.8 meters long, and the Dangqu becomes the source of the Yangtze River, which is 11,701.6 meters longer than the Tuotuo River. According to the proportion, the part of Dangqu that is longer than the Tuotuo River accounts for 3.25% of the total length of Dangqu, and it is difficult to judge which river is longer if it is not accurately measured by advanced technology.
The above is based on the principle of "the source of the river is far away", and Dangqu is determined to be the source of the Yangtze River, and we will compare the water flow of Tuotuo River and Dangqu.
At the intersection of Nangji Balong, the flow of Tuotuo River is 46.73 cubic meters per second, and the flow rate of Dangqu is 204 cubic meters per second. There are many tributaries of Dangqu, among which the flow of Gariqu and Buqu is very large, so the total flow of Dangqu can beat the Tuotuo River.
To sum up, Dangqu is slightly longer than the Tuotuo River, and the water flow is far better than the Tuotuo River, and it has rightly become the source of the Yangtze River, with an elevation of about 5,039 meters.
Finally, we will sort out the name of the Yangtze River in the order from upstream to downstream: Jiqu - Dangqu - Tongtian River - Jinsha River - Yangtze River.
(The data in this article is quoted from the "Atlas of Scientific Investigation of the Source of the Three Rivers", if you take the geography exam, please refer to the textbook)