The Yangtze River is the longest in Asia and the third longest in the world with a length of 3,915 miles. It flows from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China to the East China Sea. Chinese people also call this river ‘Chang Jiang’ that means ‘long river’. The river is also home to the world’s oldest existing dam-free irrigation system named as the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project. It is located west of Chengdu City on Minjiang. It is also the busiest river in the world with cruise ships, ferries and transport barges crisscrossing the river daily. Quick Facts: –- The term ‘Yangtze’ has been derived from the name of the ancient fiefdom of Yang.- The first major bridge across this river was the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. It was built in 1957.- The basin of this river extending for some 2,000 miles from west to east and for more than 600 miles from north to south drains an area of 698,265 square miles.- This basin is a major grain producing. Rice accounts for approximately 70% of the grain grown in the region. - The Yangtze water network covers about 1,800,000 square km accounting for approximately 18.8% of the land area in China. - This river has a total of eight principal tributaries including Yalung, Min, Jialing, Han, Wu, Yuan, Xiang and Gan Rivers.- The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze is one of the biggest hydro-electric power stations in the world. - The dam was officially opened in May 2006. - Yangtze River is also the longest river in a single country.