Walking Along the Mighty Yangtze River

Merging of Rivers at the Yangtze River Towards the Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡

Merging of Rivers at the Yangtze River Towards the Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡

The area near Qiaotou or Tiger Leaping Gorge Town has a stream whose current was quite strong. It seems that there really is a lot of water running through it. The stream is a little shallow in those parts which made the water look rougher. However, as I continued to walk towards the Tiger Leaping Gorge in my ten kilometer hike. The stream gradually grew wider and wider until it was deep enough that the strong current was no longer noticeable. I only realized that that stream apparently wasn’t the Yangtze itself but just a small tributary. The main one is still up ahead.

Murky Yangtze River on the Way to the Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡

Murky Yangtze River on the Way to the Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡

I was a bit surreal for me to realize that I was walking along the second longest river in the world. It was difficult for me to fathom that these same waters would find their way to Shanghai on the other end of China. If you have been to China, you can somehow grasp the vastness of the country and how long this river actually is. The Yangtze River is the name more known to the rest of the world but the name used in China is Changjiang 长江 or Long River. Numerous kingdoms in China have set up shop here over the centuries and up to now, it continues to sustain the communities and cities which have now replaced those kingdoms.

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