Life on the Dragon: The People, History, Scenery and Culture of the Yangtze River

Authors

Danelle Marie Jones, Brigham Young University
Dr. Dana Scott Bourgerie, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Yangtze River, China, Three Gorges, culture, history, scenery

College

Humanities

Department

Asian and Near Eastern Languages

Abstract

The Yangtze River region in China abounds in rich sources of ancient, as well as modern, Chinese history, literature, and culture. The River’s Three Gorges area overflows with some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery and invaluable historic sites. Throughout China’s history, particularly the Three Kingdoms period, significant events and dynastic governments emerged from the Yangtze River region. More recently in the early to mid 1900s, Chiang Kaishek and his Nationalist forces headquartered on the Yangtze River before the Communists pushed them to Taiwan. Peasants in the Three Gorges region epitomize China’s traditional culture, while residents of China’s larger cities are “modernizing.” The whole area is rapidly changing as China develops, and particularly as the new and controversial Three Gorges Dam looms over the gorges.

Recommended Citation

Jones, Danelle Marie and Bourgerie, Dr. Dana Scott (2013) "Life on the Dragon: The People, History, Scenery and Culture of the Yangtze River," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 653.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/653