Abstract: Adopting the Yangtze River Flood Protection Physical Model, experimental study on the propagation features of the 1954 and 1998 floods in the Jingjiang Reach of the Yangtze River have been conducted under the topographical condition of Oct. 2002. The experimental results reveal that it takes 14～21 hours for the flood peak to transport from Zhicheng to Jianli with an averaged speed of 3.2～4.8 m/s. When experiencing the 1954 floods, the experimental flood peak stages (FPS) are generally higher comparing with the prototype floods in 1954 when operation of the Three Gorges Project (TGP) is not considered. The flood situation of the reach is extremely severe: the FPS at Shashi exceeds the design stage of the dike by 1.60 m , and the FPS at Shishou, Jianli and Lianhuatang exceed the design crest level of the dike by 0.40～1.23 m. After consideration of the TGP the experimental FPS drop considerably. The flood protection situation of the reach is relaxed substantially, however, not enough to be optimistic. The FPS at Shashi exceeds the design stage of the dike by 0.3 m, and that at Lianhuatang exceeds the design crest level of the dike by 0.28 m. When experiencing the 1998 floods, the experimental FPS are generally higher comparing with the prototype floods in 1998 when operation of the TGP is not considered. The flood protection situation of the reach is still severe: the FPS at Shashi, Shishou, Jianli and Lianhuatang exceed the design stage of the dike by 1.20 m, 1.25 m, 1.73 m and 1.68 m respectively.

Key words: the Jingjiang Reach,    flood propagation ,  flood situation , 1954 floods ,   1998 floods ,   physical model tests