The Three Parallel Rivers, namely the Jinsha, Lancang, and Nujiang, form together in an unmatched natural miracle, a geographical accident of the Himalayan orogeny that began 40 million years ago. Originating on China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the three rivers are the upper reaches of the well-known Yangtze, Mekong, and Salween rivers. They flow 170 kilometers from north to south, through the high mountains and ranges of Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province-the Dandanglika, the Gaoligong, the Nushan, and the Yunling-side by side by side without converging. The shortest distance between the Lancang and Jinsha rivers is 66 kilometers; the Lancang and Nujiang rivers come to about 19 kilometers of one another.

In the 1980's, an official from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found the three rivers running in parallel on a satellite map around 98o-100o30' east longitude and 25o30'-29o north latitude.

The Three Parallel Rivers area covers a total of 1.7 million hectares, comprising nine nature reserves and ten scenic resorts in Yunnan's Lijiang City, the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture. Located where East Asia, South Asia and, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau meet, the area features unique alpine landforms and some of the richest biodiversity in the world.

Superlative natural phenomena or natural beauty and aesthetic importance The deep, parallel gorges of the Jinsha, Lancang and Nu Jiang are the outstanding natural feature of the site; while large sections of the three rivers lie just outside the site boundaries, the river gorges are nevertheless the dominant scenic element in the area. High mountains are everywhere, with the glaciated peaks of the Meili, Baima and Haba Snow Mountains providing a spectacular scenic skyline. The Mingyongqia Glacier is a notable natural phemonenon, descending to 2700 m altitude from Mt Kawagebo (6740 m), and is claimed to be the glacier descending to the lowest altitude for such a low latitude (28°N) in the northern hemisphere. Other outstanding scenic landforms are the alpine karst (especially the 'stone moon' in the Moon Mountain Scenic Area above the Nu Jiang Gorge) and the 'tortoise shell' weathering of the alpine Danxia.

The property is of outstanding value for displaying the geological history of the last 50 million years associated with the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate, the closure of the ancient Tethys Sea, and the uplifting of the Himalaya Range and the Tibetan Plateau. These were major geological events in the evolution of the land surface of Asia and they are on-going. The diverse rock types within the site record this history and, in addition, the range of karst, granite monolith, and Danxia sandstone landforms in the alpine zone include some of the best of their type in the mountains of the world.

The dramatic expression of ecological processes in the Three Parallel Rivers site has resulted from a mix of geological, climatic and topographical effects. First, the location of the area within an active orographic belt has resulted in a wide range of rock substrates from igneous (four types) through to various sedimentary types including limestones, sandstones and conglomerates. An exceptional range of topographical features - from gorges to karst to glaciated peaks -- is associated with the site being at a “collision point” of tectonic plates. Add the fact that the area was a Pleistocene refugium and is located at a biogeographical convergence zone (i.e. with temperate and tropical elements) and the physical foundations for evolution of its high biodiversity are all present. Along with the landscape diversity with a steep gradient of almost 6000m vertical, a monsoon climate affects most of the area and provides another favourable ecological stimulus that has allowed the full range of temperate Palearctic biomes to develop.

Biodiversity and threatened species Northwest Yunnan is the area of richest biodiversity in China and may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on earth. The site encompasses most of the natural habitats in the Hengduan Mountains, one of the world's most important remaining areas for the conservation of the earth's biodiversity. The outstanding topographic and climatic diversity of the site, coupled with its location at the juncture of the East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Tibetan Plateau biogeographical realms and its function as a N-S corridor for the movement of plants and animals (especially during the ice ages), marks it as a truly unique landscape, which still retains a high degree of natural character despite thousands of years of human habitation. As the last remaining stronghold for an extensive suite of rare and endangered plants and animals, the site is of outstanding universal value.

Every spring, wild flowers bloom on carpet-like meadows, amid tranquil forests, and near clear lakes. People can find more than 200 species of rhododendrons and nearly 100 species of rough gentians, as well as other wild flowers such as the primrose, the pedicularis resupinata, and the lily. Therefore, botanists call the area "a natural alpine garden."

For a long time, local people have suffered hardships and inconveniences caused by the area's secluded geographical conditions. But this isolation has created distinctive religions, customs, and cultures among local ethnic groups, including the Han. Here, Tibetan Buddhists, who mainly live on animal husbandry, inhabit the plateaus. The Naxi, mainly farmers, inhabit the Jinsha River Valley and the Lijiang Basin.

Though influenced by the Han people, they have preserved their own primitive but brilliant Dongba region and culture. The Yi and Primi mainly live on the slopes between valleys and plateaus. The Lisu, Nu, and Derung mainly live in the valleys and mountainous areas in the south. The plains and mountainous areas in the southeast are mainly inhabited by the Bai, who boast advanced agriculture and handicrafts and a complex history and culture. Wars and conflicts have occasionally occurred among these groups, as well as a few foreign missionaries, due to differences in religion, customs, and cultures, but for most of history they have coexisted in harmony, composing a big family with combined cultures.

On July 2, 2003, the Three Parallel Rivers were put on the World Heritage List at UNESCO's 27th World Heritage Conference.

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