Abstract: The Changjiang River, attaining a whole length of more than 6 300km, is the first largest river in this country and the third one in the World. Its basin covers an area of 1 800 000 sq.km,accounting for one-fifth of the total area and one-third of the total population of the whole nation respectively. Both its total industrial and agricultural output of those value and the output avlue from staple farm produce occupy roughly 40% of the whole nation. The Changjiang River’s discharge to be annually emptied into the sea attains 960 billion cubic meters on the average, a figure that is 39% of the total volume of surface water resources in this country. In this river basin, there are varied land resources, rich kinds of mineral resources and wellreputed scenic spots and tourism resources, all giving expression to its tremendous potentialities in exploitaion.This river basin has consistently played a weight-carrying role in the development of socioeconomy in this country and is pushing forward from its delta toward the middle and upper reaches in the wake of the open-door policy along the coastal area. In the entire Chngjiang River basin, exploitation and opening to the outside world has begun to gain momentum and has truned into a powerful motive force in the future econmic development.So far as known, the Asia-Pacific area has now become the key point in the economic growth of the world. Since this river basin enjoys the superiorities of both various natural resources and socio-economy, it will be the most important region for our country to join in the world’s economic development. It is Due to the vast extent in scope of the river basin that in terms of economic development and industrial distribution, we should select an economic zone along the Changjiang River’s mainstream, capable of achieving beneficial result and bringing along the whole basin so as to form a major component part in China’s transcentury economydevelopment strategy.In China’s geographical circles, studies in the fields of natural sciences and humanitiesalong the Changjiang River basin have been made earlier in records and in many respects, witha sizable amount of contributions being published. In the coming studies, stress should be placed systematically and emphatically on such aspects as locational conditions, investment environment as well as those basic facilities and infrastructures like resources, ecology and environment, productive arrangement, traffic, communications in the Changjiang River’s economic zone and its basin respectively in the process of exploitation and opening to the outside world.

Key words: Changjiang River basin, Changjiang economic zone, Changjiang River and its studies on grography