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Originating on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yangtze River is China's longest waterway, running more than 6,300 kilometers through 11 provincial-level regions before flowing into the East China Sea near Shanghai's Chongming Island.

The river's roaring rapids and picturesque riverbanks have inspired poets to craft verses that transcend awe-inspiring landscapes. Their poems embed profound philosophical ideas, patriotic sentiments, and emotions such as homesickness and lament for time's passage.

Born in the Yangtze River basin, the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) patriotic poet Qu Yuan crafted romantic works with vivid imagination and allegorical metaphors.