ABSTRACT
The Yangtze is the longest river in China, and the third in the world. It originates from the north of the Danggula Mountains in Qinghai Province, dissects China’s interior and then flows into the Pacific Ocean at Shanghai; it is 6,300 km long. The area of the Yangtze valley is 1,800,000 square kilometres, accounting for about 18.8 per cent of the land area in China. Some 34 per cent of the population of China live in the Yangtze valley. The output value of agriculture and industry accounts for 32 per cent and 28 per cent respectively of that of China, which makes the Yangtze valley one of the most developed belts in the country. However, due to the deterioration of the ecological and environmental functions of the valley, natural disasters such as floods have become more frequent in the last 50 years. This threatens the ecological safety of the Yangtze valley.
