The Yangtze River Economic Region, referring to the Yantze river delta and the areas along the river starting from Shanghai in the east to reach Sichuan's Panzhihua city in the west is emerging as a new shining star in China's national economic development. The zone covers seven provinces and two Municipal cities along the Yangtze River, China's longest river which stretches over 6,300 kilometers and encompasses a river valley covering 1.8 million square kilometers.