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Jinsha River is the westernmost of the major headwater streams of the Yangtze River, southwestern China.

Its headwaters rise in the Wulan and Kekexili ranges in western Qinghai province, to the south of the Kunlun Mountains, and on the northern slope of the Tanggula Mountains on the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The three principal headwaters — the Chumaer, Muluwusu, and Akedamu rivers — join to form the Tongtian River, which flows southeast to Zhimenda near the frontier between Qinghai and Sichuan provinces.

As the Jinsha River, it then flows south through a deep gorge parallel to the similar gorges of the upper Mekong and upper Salween rivers, from which it is separated by the Ningjing Mountains.

It forms the western border of Sichuan for some 250 miles (400 km) and then flows into Yunnan province.

After a large, 200 miles (320 km) long loop to the north of Dali Baizu Autonomous Prefecture, the Jinsha swings northeast, forming the Sichuan-Yunnan provincial boundary until it joins the Min River at Yibin in Sichuan to form the Yangtze.

The upper course of the river falls about 14 feet per mile (2.7 metres per km).

Below Pa-t'ang (Sichuan) the gradient gradually decreases to about 8 feet (2.5 m) a mile, but the Chin-sha is quite unnavigable and in its upper course through the gorges is more of an obstacle than an aid to communication.

Below Batang (Sichuan) the gradient gradually decreases to about 8 feet per mile (1.5 metres per km), but the Jinsha is unnavigable and in its upper course, through the gorges, is more of an obstacle than an aid to transportation.