Tuotuo River

The Tuotuo River, the source of the Yangtze River, originates from the glaciers of the Jianggendiru Snow Mountains located at the southwestern side of the highest Geladandong Peak in the Tanggula Mountain Range. The altitude of the end of the glaciers is nearly 5,500 meters. There are many huge snow mountains, including 20 snow-covered peaks whose altitudes are more than 6,000 meters. The permanent snow line is up to 5,800 meters, and there are 40 modern glaciers on those peaks. The cloud-kissing mountains covered with ice and snow and the clear and bright glaciers are the headwaters of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River flows eastward via Qinghai Province, the Tibet Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Jiangxi Province, Jiangsu Province and Shanghai City before emptying into the East China Sea. The total length of the Yangtze River is 6,380 kilometers, and it is the third largest river in the world. 　　　

The serac forest located at the Yangtze River source has thousands of poses and is extraordinary. The melt water of the glaciers becomes the source of the Tuotuo River. The source of the Yangtze River also has rich resources. The huge blocks of rock crystals that are several feet in length and used to pave the magnificent palaces are produced from the region (with altitudes of more than 6,000 meters) near the Geladandong Ice Peak. There are top-grade magnetites and lead-zinc ores in the Maerken Lake located at the northern foothills of the Gakadiru Snow Mountain. The enchanting Zuerken Lake teems with fat gymnocypris przewalskii (plateau fish without scales). Snow cocks inhabits in groups in Cuiying Mountain that is covered with white snow all year round. But at the hillside and the foot of Cuiying Mountain, there is a prairie stretching to the horizon. Various rare flowers and grasses are growing in the prairie, and there are also some wild snow leopards, Tibetan antelopes, wild donkeys and wild yaks, etc.

The source of the Yangtze River is an ecological nature reserve at state level. The Monument for Environmental Protection was established on June 5, 1999 at the source of the Yangtze River. The written Chinese characters that mean source of the Yangtze River by former president Jiang Zemin are on the front side of the monument, showing the resolution of the Chinese government to beef up environmental protection.