China has a varied and complicated topography. It has low, flat and wide plains, gently undulating hilly areas, mountainous regions with towering peaks, high and vast plateaus and bowl-shaped basins.
Generally speaking, China has more mountainous regions than flat ones. Mountainous areas make up about two-thirds of the country’s land area, while the flats are less than one third. Regions higher than 500m cover about 3/4 of the national land area (among which regions higher than 3000m make up 26%), and regions lower than 500m account for 1/4.
China’s land slopes from west to east and can be divided into three zones. The first zone is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has an average altitude around 3 000 to 5 000m. The second zone has a mean altitude ranging from 1 000 to 2 000m, including the Inner Mongolia, Loess and Yunnan-Guizhou plateaus, and the Tarim, Junggar, Sichuan and other basins which dot the plateaus. East of the mountains Da Xing’anling，Taihang, WuShan, and Snow Peak, the third zone consists of three big plains and low hills around the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Southeast China. The plains are usually lower than 200m, and the low hills are less than 500m in altitude.
High mountains and plateaus are situated to the west of the line formed by the mountains Daxing’anling，Taihang, Wushan, and Snow Peak; and to the east of this line are hilly areas and plains. Some of China’s major rivers, such as the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Zhujiang River, originating from the plateaus and mountains in the west, follow the slope of the topography, and flow east to the sea.
Generally speaking, China has more mountainous regions than flat ones. Mountainous areas make up about two-thirds of the country’s land area, while the flats are less than one third. Regions higher than 500m cover about 3/4 of the national land area (among which regions higher than 3000m make up 26%), and regions lower than 500m account for 1/4.
China’s land slopes from west to east and can be divided into three zones. The first zone is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has an average altitude around 3 000 to 5 000m. The second zone has a mean altitude ranging from 1 000 to 2 000m, including the Inner Mongolia, Loess and Yunnan-Guizhou plateaus, and the Tarim, Junggar, Sichuan and other basins which dot the plateaus. East of the mountains Da Xing’anling，Taihang, WuShan, and Snow Peak, the third zone consists of three big plains and low hills around the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Southeast China. The plains are usually lower than 200m, and the low hills are less than 500m in altitude.
High mountains and plateaus are situated to the west of the line formed by the mountains Daxing’anling，Taihang, Wushan, and Snow Peak; and to the east of this line are hilly areas and plains. Some of China’s major rivers, such as the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Zhujiang River, originating from the plateaus and mountains in the west, follow the slope of the topography, and flow east to the sea.
This characteristic yields two results. On the one hand, the sloping topography can make warm and humid sea air streams penetrate deep into the inland, impacting on east China’s climate, plants, soil, and hydrology. On the other hand, the sloping topography leads to the rivers' conspicuous drop in elevation step by step, producing rich hydraulic resources which can be exploited at various levels.
The Himalayas (The Himalayas in the Tibetan language means "land of snow". All the peaks over 7 000 m are snow-capped all year round and glaciers can be found everywhere.), situated at the south edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, range from the Pamir Plateau in the west to the great turning point of the Yarlung Zangbo River in the east. The mountains span over 2 450 km long from east to west, and 200 — 300 km wide from south to north, with an average altitude of 6 200 m.
The Himalayas, the most imposing and the highest mountain range in the world, are made up of several roughly parallel branch ranges. From north to south, they are the Big Himalayas, Small Himalayas, Siwalik Hills, etc. The Big Himalayas, main branch range of the Himalayas, boasts 40 peaks over 7 000 m high. Mount Qomolangma, at an altitude of 8 844.43 m, is the highest mount in the world. Located on the border of China and Nepal, it dominates the middle of the Himalayas like a majestic pyramid and is called the third polar of the world.
Emerged only several hundred thousand years ago, the Himalayas are the youngest mountains on the earth. Nowadays they are still growing!
The Qinling Mountains span over 1 500 km long, and ten to two X. or three hundred thousand km wide from south to north. They are majestic and grandiose. The Qinling Mountains, in the narrow sense, refer to the middle section of the Qinling Range, a portion of the very mountain in central Shaanxi Province.
Mount Taibai, at an elevation of 3,767 m, is the highest peak of the Qinling Mountains. It has been a famous mount since ancient times. Snow-capped Taibai Peak in June is one of the eight renowned Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) sights. Another high mountain in Qinling, Mount Huashan, though only about 2 000 m high, is very precipitous. Hence comes the famous saying, “there is no way to Mount Huashan except a precipitous path” and “the steepest mount in China”. The five peaks, namely the East Peak, West Peak, South Peak, North Peak and Middle Peak, stand like a five-petal plum flower in full blossom, adding unique and charming scenery to Mount Huashan.
The Qinling Mountains stand like a huge wall blocking the wind in the hinterland of China. In winter, they stop the northwest wind from blowing southward, reducing the cold wave’s influence on the south of China; in summer, they intercept the vapor brought by the southeast wind, reducing precipitation in the northern areas. Therefore, the Qinling Mountains serve as a natural dividing line between the south and north of China, and also the watershed between the drainage areas of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.
The Changbai Mountains are located in the southeast part of JL Jilin Province, with 16 peaks over 2 500 m high. The main peak is Mount Baitou, with an altitude of 2 691 m.
On the top of Mount Baitou lies the Heavenly Pond which is formed by water accumulated in a crater. Encircled by precipitous mountains, the pond is as clear as a mirror. The pond offers a pleasing scene with its shimmering water against the green mountains.
The Changbai Mountains are a great treasure house of natural resources. The mountain area is the original producer of the well- known “three treasures of the Northeast” i.e. ginseng, mink and pilose antler.
The Range of Tianshan Mountains, with a total length of 2 500 km, includes the West Tianshan Mountains, Middle Tianshan Mountains, and East Tianshan Mountains. The West Tianshan Mountains is located within Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The East Tianshan Mountains and the Middle Tianshan Mountains span the central Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China.
The Tianshan Mountains are a natural geographic line of demarcation. There is a striking difference between the north and the southern mountains in climate, hydrology, plants, animals, and landscapes.
And the nation’s largest distribution area of modem glaciers are here. The melted glacier water supplies a major part of the source of many rivers in Xinjiang.
The Tianshan Mountains offer graceful scenery. Seen from afar, they are covered by a vast expanse of snow and by winding glaciers on the top; green trees and grass thrive halfway up the mountains; tinkling streams and beautiful oases provide a picturesque touch at the foot of the mountain. The grandiose Tianshan area is one of the bases of animal husbandry in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The Kunlun Mountains extend from the Pamirs in the west to the northwest of、Sichuan Province, passing through Qinghai Province and traversing between Xinjiang and Tibet. Over 2 500 km long, they crouch like a huge dragon in the west of China, and hence the name “Spine of Asia”.
The Kunlun Mountains comprise the East, Middle and West Kunlun Mountains. The southern, middle and northern branch ranges of East Kunlun Mountains spread like the claw of a bird. The Bayakala Mountain, belonging to the southern branch, is the watershed of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers.
Most of the peaks in the Kunlun range are over 5 000 m high, and some of them exceed 7 000 m. Every summer, the snow on the top of the mountains begins to melt, forming streams that moisten the dry land in Northwest China and supplement the sources of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers.
See another the great 5 mountains
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