China's Mountains, Lakes, and Rivers
Three map layers in direct comparison – mountains, lakes, and rivers – supplemented with background on China's most important landscape features.
Last verified: 2026-07-31
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China's Mountains: the Himalayas, Kunlun, Tianshan and the Five Great Mountains
Eleven major mountain ranges structure the country – part of the elevation relief covered on the geography and location page – starting with the Himalayas in the southwest, which hold Mount Everest (8,849 m), the highest point on Earth, followed by K2 in the Karakoram as the second-highest mountain on Earth. Moving north, the Kunlun, Tanggula, Qilian, Tianshan, and Altai ranges divide Tibet and Xinjiang into their great plateaus and desert basins. In the west and southwest, the rugged Hengduan Mountains shape deep river valleys, including the sacred, never-summited Meili (6,740 m). In the densely populated east, the Qinling and Nanling ranges divide the country climatically into north and south, while the Taihang and Greater Khingan ranges mark the transition to the northeastern plains. There, too, sit lower but culturally central peaks: Taishan, Huashan, Hengshan (north and south), and Songshan, traditionally revered as the "Five Great Mountains" (五岳), plus the UNESCO mountains Huangshan, Emei, Wutai, Lushan, and Wuyi, known for their scenery and culture, and the volcanic border mountain Changbai in the northeast.
The Himalayas
The highest mountain range on Earth, on the border with Nepal and India. Mount Everest (8,849 m), the highest mountain on Earth, sits here; in the neighboring Karakoram, K2 (8,611 m) is the second-highest – considered the most technically difficult and dangerous of the 8,000ers.
Kunlun
One of Asia's longest mountain systems, running through western China for around 3,000 km.
Tianshan
The "Heavenly Mountains" separate the Tarim Basin from the Dzungarian Basin in Xinjiang. Its highest peak is Tomur (Jengish Chokusu) at 7,439 m, on the border with Kyrgyzstan.
China's Five Great Mountains (五岳)
Five traditionally highly revered mountains where Chinese emperors made sacrifices to Heaven and Earth – one each for east, west, south, north, and the center.
Taishan (East)
1,545 m, in Shandong – the most significant of the Five Great Mountains, a site of imperial sacrifices to Heaven since antiquity.
Huashan (West)
2,154 m, in Shaanxi – famous for its extremely steep hiking trails.
Hengshan South
1,300 m, in Hunan.
Hengshan North
2,017 m, in Shanxi.
Songshan (Center)
1,512 m, in Henan – the Shaolin Monastery sits at its foot.
China's Largest Lakes: Qinghai, Poyang, Dongting
China's largest lakes lie in two very different zones: in the endorheic Qinghai plateau sits Qinghai Lake, the country's largest lake – a salt lake at around 3,200 m elevation, surrounded by other highland lakes such as the sacred Namtso in Tibet. In the water-rich middle and lower Yangtze region, by contrast, lie the great freshwater lakes Poyang, Dongting, Taihu, and Chaohu, which seasonally act as natural flood buffers for the Yangtze. West Lake in Hangzhou is significantly smaller, but of great cultural importance as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a central motif in Chinese landscape painting and poetry – similar to Erhai Lake near Dali and Lake Dianchi near Kunming in the southwest – both cities known for a notably mild climate thanks to their elevation, as covered on the best time to visit page. In the northeast lie the border lake Hulun and the volcanic crater lake Tianchi on Mount Changbai.
Qinghai Lake
China's largest lake (a salt lake), at around 3,200 m elevation on the Qinghai plateau.
Poyang Lake
China's largest freshwater lake, in Jiangxi on the lower Yangtze.
Dongting Lake
Historically one of China's largest freshwater lakes, in Hunan; an important flood-retention basin for the Yangtze.
China's Rivers: the Yangtze, Yellow River, Pearl River
Two river systems shape China: the Yangtze (Chang Jiang), at around 6,300 km the longest river in Asia, which crosses central and eastern China from west to east and is home to the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower plant – fed among others by the Xiang and Gan tributaries and connected to Beijing via the historic Grand Canal; and the Yellow River (Huang He), with its striking Ordos Loop in Inner Mongolia, shorter but of central cultural importance as the "mother river" of Chinese civilization. In the south, the Pearl River shapes the economically important Pearl River Delta around Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong; in the northeast, the Heilongjiang (Amur), with its tributary the Songhua, forms the border with Russia for long stretches. In the west, the endorheic Tarim River drains the Taklamakan Desert, while the Yarlung Tsangpo, Nu/Salween, and Lancang/Mekong rise in Tibet and Yunnan and only leave China as the Brahmaputra, Salween, and Mekong.
Yangtze
Asia's longest river (approx. 6,300 km). The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower plant, sits at the Three Gorges.
Yellow River
Considered the "mother river" of Chinese civilization; the Hukou Waterfall is its largest waterfall.
Pearl River
Southern China's most important river system, flowing into the South China Sea near Guangzhou/Hong Kong.
All Mountains, Lakes, and Rivers in Detail
Mountains
Himalayas
The highest mountain range on Earth, on the border with Nepal and India – home to Mount Everest.
Kunlun Mountains
One of Asia's longest mountain systems, running through western China for around 3,000 km.
Tianshan Mountains
The "Heavenly Mountains" separate the Tarim Basin from the Dzungarian Basin in Xinjiang.
Qilian Mountains
A border range between the Tibetan Plateau and the Hexi Corridor of the old Silk Road.
Altai Mountains
A border range in the far northwest, touching Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.
Qinling Mountains
China's most important north-south climate divide – separating subtropical southern China from the temperate north.
Greater Khingan Range
A forest-rich range in the northeast, historically a border region with Mongolia.
Taihang Mountains
A steep mountain escarpment between the North China Plain and the Loess Plateau.
Hengduan Mountains
A rugged range in Yunnan and Sichuan with deep river valleys – the Mekong, Salween, and Yangtze run close together here.
Tanggula Mountains
A border range between Tibet and Qinghai, home to one of the Yangtze's source regions.
Nanling Mountains
A range in southern China separating the Pearl River basin from the Yangtze basin.
Mount Everest (Qomolangma)
8,849 m, the highest mountain on Earth, in the Himalayas on the border with Nepal.
K2
8,611 m, the second-highest mountain on Earth, in the Karakoram – considered the most technically difficult and dangerous of the 8,000ers.
Gongga (Minya Konka)
7,556 m, the highest mountain in Sichuan, in the Hengduan Mountains.
Tomur (Jengish Chokusu)
7,439 m, the highest peak of the Tianshan, on the border with Kyrgyzstan.
Meili (Kawagebo)
6,740 m, a sacred mountain in the Hengduan Mountains – never officially summited for religious reasons.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan)
5,596 m, a popular excursion destination near Lijiang in Yunnan.
Mount Huang (Huangshan)
1,864 m, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Anhui, famous for its sea of clouds and gnarled pines.
Mount Emei
3,099 m, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Mount Wutai
3,061 m, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Mount Lu (Lushan)
1,474 m, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Jiangxi, known for its cultural and villa landscape.
Mount Wuyi
2,158 m, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Fujian, the home region of Wuyi oolong tea.
Mount Changbai
2,744 m, a volcanic mountain on the border with North Korea, home to the crater lake Tianchi.
Mount Tai (Taishan)
1,545 m, the Eastern peak of the "Five Great Mountains" (五岳) and the most significant of them – a site of imperial sacrifices to Heaven since antiquity.
Mount Hua (Huashan)
2,154 m, the Western peak of the "Five Great Mountains," famous for its extremely steep hiking trails.
Mount Heng (Hunan)
1,300 m, the Southern peak of the "Five Great Mountains."
Mount Heng (Shanxi)
2,017 m, the Northern peak of the "Five Great Mountains."
Mount Song (Songshan)
1,512 m, the Central peak of the "Five Great Mountains"; the Shaolin Monastery sits at its foot.
Lakes
Qinghai Lake
China's largest lake (a salt lake), at around 3,200 m elevation on the Qinghai plateau.
Poyang Lake
China's largest freshwater lake, in Jiangxi on the lower Yangtze.
West Lake (Hangzhou)
A famous cultural and scenic lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a central motif in Chinese landscape painting and poetry.
Dongting Lake
Historically one of China's largest freshwater lakes, in Hunan; an important flood-retention basin for the Yangtze.
Lake Tai (Taihu)
China's third-largest freshwater lake, in the Yangtze Delta between Jiangsu and Zhejiang – an important drinking-water source for Shanghai and Suzhou.
Lake Dianchi
The largest lake in Yunnan province, near Kunming – a well-known example of China's lake-remediation programs.
Hulun Lake
One of China's largest lakes, in Inner Mongolia near the Russian and Mongolian borders.
Lake Khanka
A border lake between China and Russia in the far northeast.
Lake Chaohu
One of China's five great freshwater lakes, in Anhui near Hefei.
Hongze Lake
One of eastern China's great freshwater lakes, on the lower Huai River.
Erhai Lake
Yunnan's second-largest highland lake, near Dali – a popular excursion destination.
Namtso
One of the sacred lakes of Tibetan Buddhism, at around 4,700 m elevation.
Baiyangdian
Northern China's largest wetland, southwest of Beijing.
Changbai Tianchi
A crater lake in the Changbai volcano on the border with North Korea, formed after a historic eruption.
Rivers
Yangtze (Three Gorges)
Asia's longest river (approx. 6,300 km). The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower plant, sits at the Three Gorges.
Hukou Waterfall (Yellow River)
The Yellow River is considered the "mother river" of Chinese civilization; the Hukou Waterfall is its largest waterfall.
Pearl River (Guangzhou)
Southern China's most important river system, flowing into the South China Sea near Guangzhou/Hong Kong.
Heilongjiang/Amur (near Heihe)
Forms the border between China and Russia for long stretches.
Songhua River
The main tributary of the Heilongjiang/Amur in the northeast, flowing through Harbin.
Liao River
The main river of the Liaoning Plain in the northeast.
Yellow River – Ordos Loop
A striking river loop at the northern edge of the Mongolian plain, where the Yellow River swings far north before turning south again.
Tarim River
China's longest inland river with no outlet to the sea – it disappears into the Taklamakan desert basin.
Yarlung Tsangpo
The upper course of the Brahmaputra in Tibet, one of the highest-elevation major rivers on Earth.
Nu / Salween
Rises in Tibet and flows through Yunnan and Myanmar – one of the last largely undammed major rivers in Asia.
Lancang / Mekong
The Chinese upper course of the Mekong, rising in Qinghai and crossing Yunnan before flowing through Southeast Asia as the Mekong.
Huai River
A river between the Yangtze and the Yellow River, traditionally regarded as the climate and cultural divide between northern and southern China.
Grand Canal
The world's oldest and longest artificial canal (the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal), connecting Beijing with Hangzhou.
Xiang River
Hunan's most important river, flowing into Dongting Lake.
Gan River
Jiangxi's most important river, flowing into Poyang Lake.
Our own selection of well-known mountains, mountain ranges, lakes, and rivers in China (not an official source). All positions were read directly from the respective reference image (mountains/lakes/rivers) so the markers align as closely as possible with the symbols and labels drawn there.
FAQ
What are the "Five Great Mountains" (五岳)?
Five traditionally highly revered mountains that play a central role in Chinese cultural and imperial history: Taishan (East, Shandong), Huashan (West, Shaanxi), Hengshan South (Hunan), Hengshan North (Shanxi), and Songshan (Center, Henan). Emperors traditionally made sacrifices to Heaven and Earth there.
What's the difference between the Yellow River and the Yangtze?
The Yangtze (Chang Jiang), at around 6,300 km, is the longest river in Asia and crosses central and eastern China; Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai all sit on it. The Yellow River (Huang He) is shorter, but is considered the "cradle of Chinese civilization" and is notorious for its sediment load and historical flooding.
Why is Qinghai Lake a salt lake but Poyang Lake isn't?
Qinghai Lake sits in an endorheic (drainless) basin on the plateau (no connection to the sea), so salts have accumulated over millennia. Poyang Lake, by contrast, is part of the Yangtze river system with constant water exchange and therefore stays fresh.
Related: China's Geographic Location →