Sunday, September 30, 2012

Magnificent Mountains

Magnificent Mountains

Yunnan is the kingdom of mountains. Of its 394 thousand square kilometers of 
 Yunnan Province, 94percent are mountainous regions, where mountain ranges
 go from north to south till Southeast Asia. With its high mountains, deep valleys 
and rivers running from north to south, Yunnan has its unique plateau landforms.
 The mountains rear the people of Yunnan, and the people of Yunnan endow the
 spirit and life to the mountains.
The Meili Snow Mountain--a sacred mountain for Tibetan Buddhism
Meili Snow Mountain, also known as Prince Snow Mountain, is in the northeast 
 of Deqin County of Yunnan Province. The mountain sits on the border of Yunnan
 Province and Tibet, where the three famous rivers, namely the Jinsha, Mekong
 (Lancang River) and Salwen (Nu River) flow. Known for the grandest view in 
Yunnan Province, Meili Snow Mountain boasts numerous snow-clad ridges and 
peaks, thirteen of which exceed 6,000 meters (19.685 feet) above the sea level. 
The most splendid view is of the Kawagebo Peak, the highest in Yunnan Province
 rising about 6,740 meters (22,112.86 feet). It is still a 'virgin peak' for no one 
has once conquered the top. Thus, Meili Snow Mountain remains a challenge for
 all mountain explorers from home and abroad. The Mingyong Glaciers, in particular,
 rushes from an altitude of 5,500 meters (18,045 feet) down to the forest zone, 
2,700 meters (8,858 feet) above the sea level in rainy seasons. Thanks to its high
 altitude, Meili Snow Mountain owns several climatic zones with a diversity of plants,
 vast expanse of grassland and rich fungi species that are vertically distributed;
 the types of vegetation here range from the Torrid Zone to Frigid Zone vertically;
 from the altitude of 2,000 meters (6562 feet) to 4,000 (13,123 feet) meters,
 forests flourish with varieties of spruce; the depth of the forest is an exotic world
 of rare birds and animals. Meili Snow Mountain is one of the most sacred 
mountains of Tibetan Buddhism; 'Kang Karpo Peak' means the God of Snow
 Mountain in Tibetan, and is a holy land for worshiping. Pilgrims from Tibet,
 Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu travel to the mountain in early winter to worship.
 Thousands of devout pilgrims worship together and encircle the holy mountain,
 adding much to the mystery and lofty of this great mountain.
The Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain--a symbol of romance
Being 5,596-meter-high, Jade Dragon Snow Mountains are to the north of the
 Old Town of Lijiang. They have got named for their resemblance to a giant
 crystal jade dragon, and are said to be the embodiment of the god "sanduo" 
of the Naxi people. Therefore, the Jade Dragon Mountains are the holy mountains
 and the symbol of love for Naxi people. Yunshanping (Spruce meadow), 3,240 
meters high, in the heart of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains used to be a silent 
alpine meadow, and now serves as the best place for tourists to enjoy a distant
 view of the peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. Additionally, there are 
30 species of state-protection animals in the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains, 
such as snub-nosed monkey, lesser panda, and leopard (Yunbao leopard) etc.
The Baimang Snow Mountains
Located in Deqin County, the Baimang Snow Mountains are in the middle of the 
 Hengduan Mountain Range in the southern stretch of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The mountains are named for their snowfield, and are a national nature reserve. 
With 20 peaks being over 5,000 meters above the sea level, the Baimang Snow
 Mountains, going from north to south, are more than 90 kilometers long and
 30-40 meters wide. Living in the sub-alpine coniferous forest of spruces and
 firs of the Baimang Snow Mountains are the first-class state-protection animal: 
snub-nosed monkeys that bring life to the mountains and forests. At an altitude
 of between 3,700 meters and 4,500 meters in the Baimang Snow Mountains,
 there are the remains of ancient glaciers of late Pleistocene epoch, U-shaped
 valleys and cirques.
The Haba Snow Mountains--the place for bumper grain harvest
In the southeast of Shangri-la County lie the Haba Snow Mountains that are 
named after the Haba Village at the foot. Haba means "the place for bumper
 grain harvest" in the language of Naxi people. The Haba Snow Mountains go 
from north to south, and their 5,396-meter peak surrounded by four minor 
peaks looks like a crown shining in the distance. Due to the sharp differences 
in altitude, there are different climate types in the mountains. It is the distribution 
center of the azalea, the primrose and the gentian, and these celebrated flowers
 have gained a reputation of "the mother of world gardens" for the Haba Snow
 Mountains.
The Gaoligongshan Mountains--a natural museum of organisms
The Gaoligongshan Mountains have been named in the language of Jingpo people,
 and are mainly in the west and southwest of Yunnan, going from north to south 
too. For most parts the Gaoligongshan Mountains are the boundary between China 
and Myanmar, and they are also the watershed of the Nujiang River system and
 the Irrawaddy River system. With over 1,700 species of higher plants, the 
Gaoligongshan Mountains are known as "the alpine botanical garden"; they are
 the rare places where plants of various kinds assemble, they are the corridors 
where animals and plants from north and south converge, and they are also the
 places where the ancestor of mammals differentiated; there are 456 species of
 animals and over 2,700 species of insects in the Gaoligongshan Mountains. 
 Therefore, the mountains are also called the world's "gene center of species".
 The landforms in the Gaoligongshan Mountains are complicated and were seldom
 hit by glaciers in Quaternary period, so the winding mountains are covered with 
age-old vegetation and are divided into six different climate belts. The Gaoligongshan
 Mountains came into being as a result of the crashing and squeezing of Eurasian
 Plate and Indian Plate. The peaks, gorges and lakes are geological wonders and 
are regarded as "one of the keys to world geology".
The Biluo Snow Mountains--a silver dragon on the plateau
Branching out from the Tanggula Mountains in Tibet, the Biluo Snow Mountains
 are one of the major mountains in the Hengduan Mountain Range. The mountains
 face the Lancang River in the east and extend to the Nujiang River in the west;
 with their peaks being capped with snow all the year round, the Biluo Snow 
Mountains looks like a silver dragon on the plateau; there are such beasts as 
tiger, leopard, bear and musk deer, and also birds including snow cock and
 silver pheasant in the mountains.
The Diancang Mountains--a mountain rich in marble resources
The Diancang Mountains, which are over 50 kilometers longand 25 kilometers
 wide, belong to the Yunling Mountain system of the Hengduan Mountain range. 
Rising sheer from the plain to over 2,500 meters, the Diancang Mountains offer
 a magnificent view. The Diancang Mountains (also called the Cangshan Mountains 
have altogether 19 towering peaks, and a stream of snow-melted water flows 
between each two, thus offering a beautiful scenery of 19 peaks with 18 streams,
 among which there are eight famous scenic spots. The Diancang Mountains are 
also renowned for their marble (Dali stone n Chinese) resources; the development
 of marble began in Tang Dynasty, and now handicrafts made of marble from the 
Diancang Mountains are popular all over the country. While the peaks are capped 
with snow all the year round, halfway up the Cangshan Mountains is a botanical 
garden of luxuriant forests and colorful flowers, and at the foot of the mountains
 is a hustle, prosperous world.
The Laojun Mountains--the father of the mountains in Yunnan Province
The Laojun Mountains were named after Taishang Laojun (Most Exalted Lord Lao, 
a deified Taoist god); it is said that Taishang Laojun once made elixirs here; 
therefore, the Laojun Mountains are respected as the "Father of the mountains
 in Yunnan Province ". The scenic area covers 710 square kilometers with the
 highest peak being 4,240 meters above the sea level, and it is also one of the
 major areas of the world natural heritage-"Parallel Flow of Three Rivers". The 
major landscape of the Laojun Mountains is Danxia topography (reddish sandstones)
 of red sandstone, covering 240 square kilometers, and is the most fully developed,
 most colorful and most distinctly layered of the Danxia topography in China. 
Abundant alpine vegetation, rare animals and numerous glacial erosion lakes
 in the Laojun Mountains are the unique landscapes of admiring and scientific
 value.
The Jiaozi Snow Mountains--the first mountain in mid-Yunnan
Going from north to south and with the highest peak being 4,244 meters, the
 Jiaozi Snow Mountains are over 80 kilometers long, 50 kilometers wide and 
are made of dolomite, limestone and basalt. Because the highest peak resembles 
a Chinese Huajiao (bridal sedan chair), the Jiaozi Snow Mountains have got named. 
They are 200 kilometers from Kunming, and, therefore, are also called "the First 
Mountain in Mid-Yunnan". The Jiaozi Snow Mountains have different charms in 
different seasons; in spring and summer, there is a sea of the azalea, and alpine 
meadows are a riot of color; while in winter, there are gorgeous icy lakes, 
snowfield, snow peaks, iced waterfalls and rime.
The Dahailiangzi in Huize County--the major peak of the imposing 
Wumeng Mountains
As one of the major peaks of the towering Wumeng Mountains, Dahailiangzi 
Mountain, 4,017 meters high, stretches over 40 kilometers from south to north.
 With 3,000 meters of difference in height, it descends from south to north like
 terrace to the Xiaojiang River where it is only 1,100 meters above the sea level.
 Thanks to the great difference in relative altitude, there are vertical climate 
changes in the Dahialiangzi Mountain; the terrain slopes gently on the east side
 of the Dahailiangxi Mountain and is suitable for grazing. In spring and summer, 
there is a beautiful scene of colorful flowers vying to boom; while in late autumn, 
everything in the mountain becomes integrated into mist.

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