Yangtze River shipping constitutes a core component of the comprehensive transportation system and the integrated utilization of water resources. Its modernization is an inevitable requirement for boosting China's strength in transportation and realizing Chinese path to modernization. From the perspectives of demand, goals, economic circulation, practical exploration, and comparative analysis, this study analyzes the new requirements confronting the development of Yangtze River shipping. From the dimensions of national territorial spatial planning, regional coordinated development, provincial economic layout, and construction of the comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, it investigates the functional orientation of the Yangtze River shipping in the new era, which is defined as: the main artery facilitating unimpeded circulation of the national economy, the primary support for regional coordinated development, the backbone of the Yangtze River DeltaV‒Chengdu‒Chongqing transportation axis, the main channel for national domestic trade transportation, the core arena for construction of a beautiful China, and the leading force driving the high-quality development of inland waterway shipping. Furthermore, this study elaborates on the goals of Yangtze river shipping modernization, proposes phased development objectives covering the medium-term and long-term periods, and explores the pathways for advancing its modernization. The research recommends proactive measures in the following aspects: "hard connectivity" of infrastructure, "soft upgrading" of transportation services, improving industry governance efficiency, building a unified and open shipping market, strengthening safety safeguards, promoting green and low-carbon transformation, empowering smart development, and supporting regional coordinated development. Meanwhile, it is essential to strengthen supporting mechanisms including top-level design, pilot demonstration, implementation promotion, talent cultivation, policy support, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, so as to facilitate the high-quality advancement of Yangtze River shipping modernization.