The Yangtze River and the Yellow River are collectively known as the “mother rivers” of the Chinese nation. The Yangtze River culture is one of the backbones of Chinese culture. The Yangtze River culture boasts a time-honored history，numerous dimensions and a high profile. It is immensely innovative and brims with vitality. Today，the initiative of the Yangtze River Economic Belt has become China’s national strategy to respond to global economic integration. This initiative needs to be underpinned by the Yangtze River culture，which has been evolving with the times. Therefore，we must face up to practical problems such as the fragmentation，dilution and marginalization of the Yangtze River culture. We should take a multi-pronged approach to beefing up research on and protection of the Yangtze River’s cultural resources with a view to carrying forward and promoting the ethos of the Yangtze River culture.