Abstract：The Yangtze River nurtures and nourishes the Chinese civilization. The Yangtze River basin is a rare area with abundant precipitation near the 30-degree line of northern latitude. It is also rich in water and heat resources and has great potential for civilization development. Chinese people’s understanding of the main runoff road of the Yangtze River has gone through several stages， from mistaking the Han River or Min River as the main runoff， to finally finding the Jinsha River being the right one. Since the Qing Dynasty， people have explored the source of the river and experienced the cognitive process， starting from recognizing the Tongtian River as the source to the Buqu river， the Tuotuo River， till the Dangqu River. Divided into upper， middle and lower reaches， the Yangtze River basin is divided into three major cultural areas： Bashu， Jingchu and Wuyue. These civilizations were created by different ethnic groups in almost the same period and developed together through mutual learning， forming the cultural characteristics of multiplex symbiosis and harmony in diversity. The latest archaeological findings prove that the civilization of the Yangtze River basin is no later than that of the Yellow River basin. It nourishes and protects the Chinese civilization， and gradually becomes the focus of China’s economic and cultural development， and leads China’s modernization process. The Yangtze River economic belt is still the leading force in China’s economic development， and its ecological situation matters. It is a new consensus to make the long-range preservation instead of the large-scale development.
2019, Vol. 58 
