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How far does the Yangtze River fall in elevation in its first 1,600 miles?

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Locator map highlighting the course of the Yangtze River across China, with surrounding countries in East and Central Asia labeled, including India, Russia, Mongolia, Japan, and the Koreas. The Yangtze River is marked in blue and labeled in orange, showing its path from western to eastern China. An inset globe in the upper left shows the region's location within Asia.
Yangtze River

In its first 1,600 miles (2,600 km), the Yangtze River falls more than 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) in elevation.1

This descent represents an average drop of more than 10 feet per mile (2 meters per km) of its course, though the rate of fall is significantly greater in certain mountainous stretches. By the end of this upstream section, the river reaches an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea level.1