One of best known poems mentioning the Yangtze River is the piece by Li Zhiyi, who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries which goes, "I live near the river's source, and you live where the river ends. I think of you every day and night, but can't see you in person. We, however, drink from the same stream."

From west to east, the Yangtze River runs across dozen provinces and autonomous regions in the country, illuminating the first glares of Chinese civilization and nurturing people to cultivate developed economies and cultures along the way.