There’re more than 120 cliffs of different scales along the channel from Chenglingji cliff to the Yangtze estuary which is about 1 200 km long. Since the Yangtze River develops along the fault zone, on which the cliffs grow, it is impossible for the Yangtze River to swing freely. The riverbed is usually narrow at the protruding site of the cliff and turns wide when passing the protruding head, thus it forms a lotus-root shaped one. According to historical records, these hills and cliffs have long been along the river, and the river bank has always been stable, which determines the general flow regime of the Yangtze River. However, since the cliffs locate at different sites of different geologic structures, the impact of them on the river evolution is different. This study may serve as a reference for the systematic research on the functioning mechanism of the cliffs downstream the Yangtze River.