Three Parallel Rivers
It lies within the drainage basins of the upper reaches of the Jinsha (Yangtze), Lancang (Mekong) and Nujiang (Salween) rivers, in the Yunnan section of the Hengduan Mountains.Here, for a distance of over 300 km, three of Asia's great rivers run roughly parallel to one another though separated by high mountain ranges with peaks over 6,000 meters.Selected nature reserves and places of scenic beauty in this unique region were collectively awarded World Heritage Site status in 2003 for their very rich biodiversity and outstanding topographical diversity.Thus, in this unique mountainous region, adjacent headwaters feed five of the most significant continental rivers; from east to west, they are: Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Irrawaddy, and the Ganges-Brahmaputra.In its description, UNESCO mentions: "(It) may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on earth" and "An exceptional range of topographical features - from gorges to karst to glaciated peaks -- is associated with the site being at a 'collision point' of tectonic plates".
SanjiangyuanUNESCO World Heritage SiteLocationYunnanSessionCoordinatesChinesepinyindrainage basinsJinshaYangtzeMekongSalweenHengduan MountainsMeili Xue ShanAsia's great riversconfluenceNujiang RiverMoulmeinIndian OceanHo Chi Minh CityVietnamSouth China SeaEast China SeaShanghaiN'Mai RiverIrrawaddy RiverLohit RiverBrahmaputra RiverGanges-Brahmaputra systemUNESCOtemperate regiongorgestectonic platesGongshanendemicDerungTibetan peopleNu peopletraditional costumesOld Town of LijiangNu River (Salween)Lancang River (Mekong)Jinsha River (Yangtze)Yangtze RiverTiger Leaping GorgeGaoligongshan National Nature ReserveHaba XueshanPudacuo National ParkShangri-La CountyYunlingFugong CountyLushui CountyMeili Xue Shan—Meili Snow mountain rangeDeqin CountyLanping Bai and Pumi Autonomous CountyGongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous Countybiodiversetemperateecosystemsterrestrial ecoregionbiodiversity hotspotconiferousbroadleaf forestsrhododendrongentiansprimulasblack snub-nosed monkeyIndian leopardsnow leopardclouded leopardGaoligong pikaGongshan muntjacChinese shrew molecapped langurstump-tailed macaqueAsiatic wild dogblack musk deersmooth-coated otterhoolock gibbonAsian black bearred pandachestnut-throated partridgeLady Amherst's pheasantwhite-eared pheasantYunnan nuthatchgiant nuthatchwhite-speckled laughingthrushferruginous duckSevertzov's grousebrown-winged parrotbillWard's trogonblack-necked craneVerreaux's monal-partridgeChushi GangdrukList of ecoregions in ChinaTemperate broadleaf and mixed forestTemperate coniferous forestList of World Heritage Sites in AsiaWild ChinaPierre Jean Marie DelavaymissionarybotanistJoseph RockWorld Heritage Sites in ChinaArchaeological Ruins of Liangzhu CityClassical Gardens of SuzhouFujian tulouLushanHuangshanYellow SeaBohai SeaMount SanqingMount TaiWuyi MountainsTempleCemetery of ConfuciusKong Family MansionHongcunWest LakeKulangsuSouth CentralWudang MountainsHistoric Centre of MacauShennongjiaKaiping Diaolou and Villages