In 2003, a Russian team led by Alexander Selvachev, who has led trips on many major rivers around the world, first boated the Tongtian He (Yangtze headwaters) from Tongtian to Zhidoi, hiked over a pass to the source of the Dze Qu with their boating gear and hitchiked to the put-in near 32 38 01N, 96 33 34E.

The put-in elevation was about 12,750' and the average gradient for the 130 mile run is about 15' per mile. Flows began about 350 cfs and ended about 5000 cfs. The team had to make long, difficult portages around three rapids in a narrow gorge, so this is not a good repeat run for rafts.

However, in 2015, Will Stauffer-Norris kayaked this stretch and believes it is a good repeat run for kayaks, though there are a couple of portages.