Three Parallel Rivers, Yunnan Province
Proposed
World Heritage Classification: Natural Site
Location: North-West Yunnan Province
The scenic area’s name derives from the three rivers –Nu, Jinsha and
Lancang—that flow in parallel for more than 170 km across north-western Yunnan
Province, and cover a total area of 34,000 square km. In 1998, it was approved
as a scenic area.
The Jinsha River flows eastwards and is one of
the feeder rivers of the Yangtze River, the longest river of
China. The Lancang River runs from north to south
and becomes the upper reach of the Mekong River, which
flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia
and Vietnam before it finally joins the South China
Sea. The Nujiang River rolls down from north to south
and becomes the upper reaches of the Salween in
Myanmar.
The Three Rivers encompass a range of ecological
zones at various altitudes from the Nujiang River
Canyon (760 metres above sea level) to Mount Kagebo
(6,740 metres above sea level, and as yet unconquered
by man), including various landforms such as snowy
mountains, icebergs, glaciers, highland lakes, open
plateaux and deep gullies. Although the area covers no
more than 0.4 percent of Chinese territory, it contains
20 percent of higher plants (over 6000 species) and over
25 percent of animal species (over 700 species) of the
country.
The Three Parallel Rivers area features beautiful
natural scenes and diversified geology and geomorphology.
There are 4,000-metre-deep valleys, 6,500-metre-high
snow mountains, the southernmost snow mountain of
the world, a marine glacier reaching 2,700 metres in
low latitude, well-developed and well-preserved glacial
landforms, high mountain glacial lakes, high mountain
danxia landforms, volcano and magma rocks, high
mountain karst topography, karst caves, travertine
waterfalls and grassy marshlands.
Outstanding Feature: Vast range of biological
environments and resources in the northern hemisphere.
The main scenic spots:
Nujiang Gorge
The 316-kilometer-long Nujiang River Gorge is
flanked by two 4,000 metre high mountains: Gaoli and
Biluo which have an average altitude of over 3,000 metres
on either side. This is the second biggest gorge in the
world
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Meili Snow Mountain
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Mingyong Glacier
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Meili Snow Mountain and Mingyong Glacier
Lying on the border between Yunnan and Tibet,
the Meili Snow Mountain, in Dexin County, is known
for its main peak, the Kagebo, which rises 5,229 metres
above sea level and has not yet been scaled by man. The
Kagebo Peak is surrounded by 13 lesser peaks, and at
its foot lies a modern monsoon maritime glacier, a
geographical rarity, given its low latitude and high
altitude.
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Hutiao Gorge
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Hutiao (“Leaping Tiger”) Gorge
Extending for 16 kilometres, Hutiao Gorge, with
a drop of 3,700-3,900 metres, is believed to be one of
the world's deepest canyons. At its narrowest point the
gorge is only 30 metres wide. It was said that a hunted
tiger once made his escape to the other side in a single
bound - hence the gorge's name.
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Baishui Terrace
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Baishui Terrace
The 300m2 Baishui Terrace lies on a mountain
slope 2,380 metres above sea level in Baidi Village. The
variegated karst landform of the tableland is an outcome
of the continuous piling up of calcite sediments, resulting
from the disintegration of calcium bicarbonate contained
in the water.
Shangri-la
This beautiful land with snow-capped mountains,
wide meadows and rivers is an untainted natural paradise
which retains a mysterious and bewitching quality. Three
snow-capped mountains, Meili, Baimang and Haba,
tower over a landscape crisscrossed by the Three Parallel
Rivers.
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Shangri-la
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