List of Major Rivers in China: Top 10 List

The Yangtze River is the largest and longest river flowing in China. Rivers are natural resources. In simple words, a river is a natural flow of water on Earth’s surface. A river is usually a freshwater stream. China has a very big network of rivers. In China nearly more than 1500 rivers are flowing, including the three longest rivers named The Yangtze, The Yellow River, and The Pearl River.

China has two out of the list of ten longest rivers present around the globe. China is the second most populous country after India and has a great economy. This article will provide you with all the details about the top ten major rivers in China.

List of Major Rivers in China

Here is the list of major rivers in China.

Serial No.	River	Length Of River(km)
1.	The Yangtze River	6397
2.	The Yellow River	5464
3.	The Pearl River	2400
4.	The Songhuajiang River	1840
5.	The Huaihe River	1110
6.	The Grand Canal	1794
7.	The Heilongjiang River	4370
8.	The Brahmaputra River	2840
9.	The Three Parallel Rivers	370
10.	The Li River	439

Top 10 Major River in China

A river is a freshwater stream or resource which is necessary to be reserved in today’s time. Rivers are of long lengths and depths. The length of big rivers can be at a reach of  thousands of miles. 

Let us discuss the major rivers present in China. 

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is also known by the name, Changjiang River. This river is the third longest river in the world after the Nile River present in Africa and Amazon River present in South America. It is the biggest river in Asia. This river, when together with the Yellow river, is referred to as the “Mother River” in China.

China’s culture and history have all been significantly influenced by the Yangtze. The river has been used for transportation, irrigation, border marking, and warfare for many years by the people. 

• The length of the river is around 6397 kilometers.
• The river comes from within the mountains of Tanggula which is present in the Tibetan Plateau. 
• The river flows through two cities and nine provinces.
• The Delta of Yangtze, contributes to a growth of around 20 percent to the GDP of China. 
• The cities which are along the Yangtze river are Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shanghai, and Chongqing.

Yellow River

The Yellow river is referred to as the 2^nd longest river after Yangtze in China. This river flows through nine provinces and afterwards joins with the Bohai Sea which is in east China’s Province named Shandong. The people of China referred to this river by a name, “Mother River”. 

• The total length of the river is 5464 kilometers. 
• The river is the 5^th longest river around the world. 
• The river flows through a plateau named Loess which contains a high concentration of sediments. 

Third Major River in China: The Pearl River

The river is referred to as the third longest river flowing in China after the Yangtze and Yellow river. Night Cruise along this river is a very fascinating thing for tourists to perform. Tourists enjoy the amazing scenery near the river in the evening. The evening view is very beautiful. 

• The total length of the river is 2400 kilometers.
• The origin of the river is from West China’s Plateau named Yunnan-Guizhou. 
• The river empties into the Sea present in South China named Guanghou.  

Fourth Major River in China: The Songhuajiang River

In the Northern east parts of China, this river is referred to as the “Mother River”. The origin of the river is from Tianchi which is the Heavenly Lake present in the Changbaishan Mountain. There are so many beautiful and amazing attractions near the river like one of them is the famous Songhuajiang River Rime.

• In Manchu Language, this river is known as “Milky Way”. 
• The length of the river is 1840 kilometers. 
• The drainage area of the river is about 545,000 square kilometers. 

Huaihe River

The origin of the river is from a mountain named Tobaishan. The Huaihe river flows through three provinces named Anhui Province, Henan Province, and Jiangsu Province. At the end the river merges into a longest river of China named Yangtze River at the Sanjiangying. 

• This river is very well known for its management which is a very difficult task to perform.
• Huaihe River and a mountain named Qinling, together form geographical boundaries of South direction and North direction in China. 
• The river is divided into three parts.
• The total length of the river is 1110 kilometers.

The Grand Canal

This Grand Canal is totally man-made, and the full name of the canal is Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. This canal comes under the list of the biggest projects of the ancient times. This is one of the earliest and longest canals around the globe. 

• The Grand Canal was constructed in the 5^th Century. 
• The Grand Canal was constructed for the purpose of transportation of goods and grains from the agricultural rich areas like Yangtze and Huai River valleys to feed the armies and cities. 
• The canal has its origin starting from Hangzhou and extends upto Beijing.
• The total length of the Grand Canal is 1794 kilometers. 

Heilongjiang River

The Heilongjiang is running through two very well known countries Russia and China, and is referred to as the international river. This river holds eleventh rank in the list of biggest rivers around the globe. 

• The total length of the river is 4370 kilometers.
• Heilongjiang produces a lot of raw materials, including coal, oil, and lumber, and also has a significant role in the growth of the agriculture sector in China. 
• The river is referred to by a name Amur, as it passes through the North-east part of China and then merges with the Okhotsk Sea. 

Brahmaputra River

The origin of the Brahmaputra River is from the highest mountain ranges, The Himalayas. Most of the parts of the river are flowing through China. In Tibet language the word Brahmaputra refers to the white snow which is coming through the mountains. 

• The total length of the river is 2840 kilometers. 
• Tibetan people used to refer to this river as the “Mother River”. 
• The Brahmaputra Canyon comes under the list of largest canyons present in the globe. 

Three Parallel River

The Three Parallel River includes Jinsha River, Lu River and Lancang River. This scene forms a beautiful attraction for the tourists, and forces them to visit this place and see the beauty of nature. 

• These three rivers flow parallel with each other in the area of 170 kilometers in Yunnan Province. 
• The uniqueness is that the water of these three rivers doesn’t mix with each other. 

The Li River

This river is basically located in the eastern regions of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous. The river has very beautiful scenery. The site of the river consists of beautiful hills, clear water, and a peaceful environment.

• The total length of the river is 439 kilometers.
• This river is famous for the largest Karst landscape picturesque place in the world, which  is the Li River picturesque place, from where the Li River flows. 
• Hiking and cruising are the popular activities done by the tourists here.  

Conclusion

Here we come at the end of the article, where we read about top 10 major rivers in China. We have mentioned some of the most important details about the top ten major rivers in China. We hope this article helped you to know more about the natural resources and rivers in the world.

List of Major Rivers in China – FAQs

Which is China’s main river?

The Yangtze is the main river of China.

What was the first river in China?

The Yellow river was the first river in China.

What is the longest river in China?

The Yangtze River is the longest river in China.

Name 5 major rivers of China.

The 5 major rivers of China are stated below:

• The Yangtze River
• The Yellow River
• The Pearl River
• The Songhuajiang River
• The Huaihe River

Which is the second largest river in China?

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China.

How many rivers are in China?

China has over 1500 rivers.