To many Chinese, the "Three Rivers Flowing Side by Side," a scenic area in Yunnan Province, is an obscure place. However, its mystery attracts numerous tourists and travelers from both China and abroad.

The three rivers referred to are the Jinsha (the upper reaches of the Yangtze River), the Lancang and Nujiang rivers. They originate on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and flow torrentially from north to south along the Hengduan Mountains at the juncture of Yunnan and Tibet, separated by the Yunling, Nushan and Gaoligong mountains. The Jinsha River is to the east, the Lancang River in the middle and the Nujiang River to the west. Although separated by high mountains, there is no great distance between the three rivers, the shortest space between the Jinsha and Lancang being 66.3 km, and between the Lancang and Nujiang 18.6 km. The rivers begin to flow abreast in northwestern Yunnan, and continue this way for 170 km, passing through Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Lijiang Naxi Autonomous Prefecture and Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture.

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