The Yalong River ( zh, 雅砻江, p ''Yǎlóngjiāng'', w ''Ya-lung Chiang'',

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioner ...

), or Nyag Chu ( Tibetan: , z ''Nyag Qu''), is a major tributary river of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flow ...

Southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

. With a length of , the Yalong River flows from north to south through the Hengduan Mountains in western

Sichuan Province Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of th ...

Course

The Yalong has its source in the Bayan Har Mountains on the Tibet–Qinghai Plateau in Chindu County, Yushu,

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

, where it is known as the Za Qu ( zh, 扎曲). Flowing southeasterly, the Yalong gradually turns south at Garzê and travels between the Shaluli Mountains to the west and the Daxue Mountains to the east. The Yalong River channel runs through a deep gorge for much of its length south of Garzê. The southern

Sichuan-Tibet Highway China National Highway 318 (G318) runs from Shanghai to Zhangmu on the China-Nepal border. It is the longest China National Highway at in length and runs west from Shanghai towards Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, and ends in Tibet Aut ...

crosses the Yalong at Yajiang in the middle of the river's course. In Liangshan Prefecture, the river wraps around the Jinping Mountains creating the Jinping Bend. Here, water from the Yalong River has been diverted under the mountains as part of the Jinping-II Dam hydroelectric project. The Yalong meets the main stem of the Yangtze (Jinsha) River in

Panzhihua Panzhihua (), formerly Dukou (), is a prefecture-level city located in the far south of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, at the confluence of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers. It has an administrative area of , and a population at the 2 ...

, Sichuan.

History

The upper reaches of the Yalong have traditionally been inhabited by the Tibetan nomads of the historic region of

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kha ...

. The lower course of the Yalong is deeply incised and is not conducive to human habitation. The lower course of the Yalong was historically the western limit of Chinese influence in region.

Dams

Since the 1980s, the Yalong has been heavily developed for hydroelectric power. A total of 23 dams are completed, under construction, or planned for the river. Those dams are listed below from downstream to upstream. * Tongzilin Dam – Under construction, 600 MW * Ertan Dam – Completed, 3,300 MW *

Guandi Dam The Guandi Dam () is a gravity dam on the Yalong River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in Sichuan Province Southwest of China. It supplies water to four hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated f ...

– Completed, 2,400 MW *

Jinping 2 Dam The Jinping-II Dam (), also known as the Jinping-II Hydropower Station, is a gravity dam on the Jinping Bend of the Yalong River (Yalong Jiang) in Sichuan, China. Construction on the project began in 2007 and it was complete in 2014. Its hydroele ...

– Completed, 4,800 MW *

Jinping 1 Dam The Jinping-I Dam () also known as the Jinping-I Hydropower Station or Jinping 1st Cascade, is a tall arch dam on the Jinping Bend of the Yalong River (Yalong Jiang) in Liangshan, Sichuan, China. Construction on the project began in 2005 and ...

– Completed, 3,600 MW * Kala Dam – Programmed, 1,060 MW * Yangfanggou Dam – Programmed, 2,200 MW * Mengdigou Dam – Programmed, 1,700 MW * Lenggu Dam – Planned, 2,300 MW * Yagen Dam – Programmed, 1,500 MW *

Lianghekou Dam The Lianghekou Dam (''meaning:'' "mouth of two rivers") is a concrete-face rock-fill dam currently under construction on the Yalong River in Yajiang County, Sichuan Province, China. The dam is located at the confluence of the Yalong, Xianshui and ...

– Completed, 3,000 MW * Gongbagou Dam – Planned, 500 MW * Gongke Dam – Planned, 400 MW *

Xinlong Dam Xinlong County (; ) is a county in the west of Sichuan, Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Xinlong County is part of historical region of Nyarong. Jazi (Nyarong Jazi Gon; Jazi Gon ...

– Planned, 500 MW * Yingda Dam – Planned, 500 MW * Tongha Dam – Planned, 200 MW * Geni Dam – Planned, 200 MW * Ada Dam – Planned, 250 MW * Reba Dam – Planned, 250 MW * Renqingling Dam – Planned, 300 MW * Wenbosi Dam – Planned, 150 MW * Danikanduo Dam – Planned, 7.2 MW * Yangri Dam – Planned, 1 MW

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of Sichuan Tributaries of the Yangtze River