(Chang Jiang in Mandarin ["Long River"]): One of the major waterways of the world and the longest (3,430 miles) in Asia, flowing from Qinghai out to the East China Sea at Shanghai. Often thought of as the dividing line between north and south China, the Yangzi cuts through treacherous gorges in its upper reaches, while its fertile eastern delta fosters one of the most prosperous and populous regions of China