长江流域是我国经济发展水平较高的地区,具有巨大的开发开放意义。长江流域的经济发展具有多方面的优势,同时其经济发展水平又存在明显的区际差异和梯度变化规律。

The Changjiang River valley lies on the middle latitute zone of China,from the east through the west.It has location superiorities of connecting the east to the west and combining the south with the north,and the advantages of multiple ways for opening to the outside world by the coast,the river and the long border.For abounding with the varieties and quantities of natural resources,holding the favourable position of economy and making up forty percent of China’s industrial and agricultural total output value,it is one of the most quintessential economic areas and the best development zones in China according to its exploitation sthrength and potentiality. Unbalanced development in the valley is so obviously that it can be divided into three grades——the east including Shanghai City,Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces enjoys its advanced prestige;the middle including Anhui,Jiangxi,Hubei,Hunan and Sichuan provinces occupy the second position;and the west including Guizhou,Yunnan,Qinghai provivces and Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region remains backword.The differences between the three parts are displayed not only in the quantities and per capita level of GNP,but also in industrial structure and rural enterprises.