The source of the Yangtze River starts from Chuma River in the north, Tuotuo River in the south and Dangqu in the south.

Tuotuo River is the western source of the Yangtze River. As early as in Shangshu, people were discussing the source of the Yangtze River. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler in Ming Dynasty, thought that Jinsha River was the source of the Yangtze River and wrote a book about the source of the Yangtze River. By the Qing Dynasty, people had known the Tongtian River, but they still could not determine the source of the Yangtze River. China visited the source of the Yangtze River twice in 1956 and 1977. During the inspection in 1977, he decided that Tuotuo River, which originated in Malan in winter, was the positive source of the Yangtze River.

The source of the Yangtze River (one of the three rivers): the source of the Yangtze River, that is, several sources of the Tongtian River, is located between Kunlun Mountain and Tanggula Mountain in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Yangtze River has three sources, the Chuma River in the north, the Tuotuo River in Jacky and the Dangqu in Nanyuan.

Historical investigation

1. There are four sources in history: the Jacky branch is the first-class Tongtian River, that is, the upper reaches of the ancient Tongtian River, which is roughly Buqu, which is the main direction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Tanggula Mountain City; Dangqu, the southern branch of Jacky, comes from the swamp at the eastern foot of Tanggula Mountains. Accepted, it forms a second-class tongtian river.

Jacky Tuotuo Hexi branch rises from the ice peak of Gladin Cave, the main peak of Tanggula, and forms a three-level Tongtian River. The Chumar River in the north originates from the southern foot of Heiji Mountain, the southern branch of Kunlun Mountain. After acceptance, a four-level Tongtian River is formed, and Lemaqu (Xiushui River is upstream) between Jacky and Beiyuan is a seasonal river.

2. 1976 During the inspection, there were three sources: Tuotuo River was considered as the main source, and it was stipulated that it would be called Tongtian River only after it merged into the big river below, while Buqu, which was called the upper section of Tongtian River in history, became the largest tributary of Dangqu.

3. In 2008, when the investigation team of Institute of Geography of Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted textual research on the source of the Yangtze River again, it was found that the length and water volume of Dangqu River were longer than those of Tuotuo River, so it was considered that Dangqu was the positive source of the Yangtze River, but it has not been recognized by the state for the record.

Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Changjiang Source