Jinsha River Travel Guide

Brief Introduction
Jinsha River is the westernmost of the major headwater streams of the Yangtze River, southwestern China. "Jinsha" literally means "Gold Sand" or "Golden Sands".

Its headwaters rise in the Wulan and Kekexili ranges in western Qinghai province, to the south of the Kunlun Mountains, and on the northern slope of the Tanggula Mountains on the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Jinsha River, located in the upper reaches of the Changjiang River, has cut across several rivers which southward flowed into fault basins, and eastward flowed into Sichuan Basin.

It does a U-turn at Shigu Town and flows northward, before veering first to the south and then to the east. The Jinsha River roars between the Haba Mountains and the Jade Dragon Mountains, bringing into being the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge.

It is the most precipitous section of Yangtze, boasting the richest hydro-energy resources among all parts of this river.