Regional Overview:  A History Of First Descents in Tibet and Western China

Expeditions that qualify for listing as first descents are limited to whitewater stretches of rivers that have not previously been run by anyone, including local Chinese residents.

East of central Sichuan, the Chinese have used most rivers for transportation for centuries, including mild whitewater stretches such as the Min River north of Chengdu and the Yangtze north of Kunming, Yunnan. Boating these stretches does not qualify, even though there is no public record of the first descent.

Many rivers in western China have been surveyed by Chinese geologists in motorized Zodiacs for potential dam sites since the mid 1980's, but they portaged most or all of the rapids. These stretches qualify for listing as first descents if the rapids are run, except for those which cannot be safely run.