In 2020， the upstream and mid-downstream of the Yangtze River experienced massive floods， with the major mainstream floods occurring in the upper Yangtze River. In this study， we first reviewed the floods and their related losses， and then analyzed the characteristics of flooding disasters in the upper Yangtze River based on several catastrophic floods in history. Finally， we proposed the integrated strategies for flood defense and the control tactics for flash floods in the Yangtze River Basin in the new era. Our results show that the floods in the Jinsha River underlay the floods in the upper Yangtze River， whereas the flood peaks were primarily attributed to the inflow from the Minjiang River， the Jialing River and the mainstream interval. The co-occurrence of floods in the aforementioned three tributaries led to the mega-floods in the upper Yangtze River， which formed the foundation and an important component of the basin-wide floods. At present， flash floods and accompanied geological disasters caused the largest number of deaths， and the biggest property losses occurred in the middle-lower reaches and the lake areas. In the future， the embankments will remain the basis of flood control. The main means to improve flood control standards of urbans long the river will rely on the joint optimal operation of reservoirs. In addition， the most effective way to reduce flood losses will be non-engineering measures such as natural solutions that give space to floods.