Exploring the Yangtze: China's Longest River

by Wong How Man and How Man Wong

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0835121852
• ISBN13: 9780835121859
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: China Books & Periodicals
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book about a great river

The only reason I don't rate the book higher is that it is a bit dated. With some rivers or places, this doesn't make a lot of difference, but in light of the gigantic dam now being built at Three Gorges, some of what is written here is becoming obsolete. This brief quibble aside, the book narrates a wonderful journey by the author from the very foot of the Yangtze to its ultimate source in Tibet. In conducting this journey, the author discovered and photographed the true source of what is now known to be the world's third longest river. The four-color photos are amazingly good, even breathtaking, particularly as one approaches the Source. They closely follow a very well-written text that seamlessly moves the reader upstream as the book goes along. The book is worth having if for no other reason than the photos, some of which excellently preserve the area that will be flooded by the Three Gorges dam.I would be remiss if I didn't note the author's evocative writing regarding the spiritual aspects of his journey. It is comparable to Peter Mathiesson's works. This theme is found in a subdued manner throughout the book, but approaches the lyrical as the author finally becomes the first person to discover and approach the true Source. When he finally finds the tiny spring in Tibet that begins a river that feeds and transports more than a quarter-billion people in its basin, well, I must leave the reading of that conclusion to you. To me it was very beautiful .I recommend this book very highly and urge you to consider its purchase. I believe you will enjoy as much as I did.