Major Cities Along the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) River

China's Golden Artery

The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), at 6,300 km the longest river in Asia and third longest globally, is the lifeblood of China's economic heartland. Over 400 million people live in its basin. Here are the major cities situated along its course, from source to mouth:

Upper Reaches (Tibetan Plateau → Sichuan Basin)

Yushu (Qinghai) — near source
Panzhihua (Sichuan)
Yibin (Sichuan) — traditional head of navigation
Luzhou (Sichuan)

Middle Reaches (Three Gorges → Middle Yangtze Plain)

Chongqing — mega-municipality (32M), major industrial hub, Three Gorges reservoir starts here.
Fuling, Wanzhou, Yichang (Three Gorges Dam site)
Jingzhou (Hubei) — ancient capital
Wuhan (Hubei) — confluence with Han River; 11M+ metro; "Chicago of China"
Ezhou, Huangshi, Jiujiang (Jiangxi)

Lower Reaches (Yangtze Delta — Economic Powerhouse)

Anqing, Tongling, Wuhu (Anhui)
Nanjing (Jiangsu) — former capital, major port
Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Nantong
Shanghai — at the estuary; world's busiest container port; 28M+ metro; global financial center