As the watershed between the north and the south, why is the Qinling Mountains called the 'Chinese Dragon Vein' and what is so special about it

The Qinling Mountains is neither the tallest nor the longest among the many famous mountains and rivers in China, but it is famous all over the world, and even known as the "Chinese Dragon Vein". It starts from Gansu, passes through Shaanxi, and ends in Henan in the east. The distance between the east and west ends is about 1,600 kilometers, and its altitude is between 1,500 and 2,500 meters.

In a narrow sense, the Qinling Mountains refers to the middle section of the Qinling Mountains, which is part of the territory of Shaanxi Province. Geology has pointed out that the Qinling Mountains were first born between 700 million years ago and 1 billion years ago. At this time, the earth was very chaotic. The Laurasia continent and the Gondwana continent in the south are moving towards each other under the influence of the earth's inner forces and the rotation of the earth.

Coupled with the violent collision, extrusion and combination, the land at the junction of the two plates gradually uplifted, and the active geological movement of the uplift killed countless lives, but also gave birth to new lives. The same is true for plants. At this time, the land is lush and lush, and a great mountain range stands in the Chinese region of the land of China: the Qinling Mountains.

Because the Qinling Mountains are located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain in Shaanxi, the Qinling Mountains were first called "Nanshan" in ancient China. Later, the ancients discovered the most important geographical features of the Qinling Mountains through practice. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, the Qinling Mountains belonged to the territory of the Qin State, and It is the highest mountain range in the state of Qin, hence the name Qinling.

Sima Qian once recorded in the Historical Records that the Qinling Mountains are the greatest obstacle in the world. This is also the earliest record after the Qinling Mountains were renamed. Since then, the Qinling Mountains have become the most famous and influential existence in the Qinling Mountains. In September 1968, German geologist Li When Seethofen arrived in China, it took four years to travel through 14 provinces and regions in China.

In the southern mountains of the Qinling Mountains, Richthofen carried out a very meaningful geological survey. After returning to China, he published the famous geology masterpiece "Richthofen China Travel Diary". The Qinling Mountains is the highest mountain range from west to east. It is the only mountain range running from east to west, and it is for this reason that the Qinling Mountains are able to create extraordinary things.

Since the Qinling Mountains are the geographical dividing line between the southern and northern continents of China, and also the watershed of the two major water systems of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, when the streams in the Qinling North Road converge into rivers and flow into the Yellow River, the waters at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains will also flow into the Yangtze River. . It is worth mentioning that tens of kilometers north of the Qinling Mountains runs almost parallel to the Weihe River, which will also take over dozens of small rivers gathered at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, nourishing the Guanzhong Plain and making the 800-mile Qinchuan River in the Guanzhong Plain Beautiful and rich.

In terms of climate, the Qinling Mountains is the dividing line between the northern subtropical zone and the warm temperate zone. Since the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains is relatively gentle, it happens that the warm and humid air in the south rises slowly here, thus forming rainfall, while the northern slope of the Qinling Mountains is quite flat. Steep, it seals the annual southward cold current here, making the Qinling Mountains the dividing line between southern and northern China and climate zones.

What is surprising is that every autumn, when the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains are full of greenery, the leaves on the northern slopes of the Qinling Mountains have gradually withered. The northern subtropical humid climate, the north belongs to the warm temperate humid and warm temperate semi-humid climate.

It has to be said that the Qinling Mountains are still the subtropical natural biological protection with the northernmost latitude distribution in the world. That is to say, the animals at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains are mainly northern species, while the animals at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains are mainly southern species.

Due to the obvious differences in natural factors such as climate, landform and vegetation between the north and south sides of the Qinling Mountains, the living environments of animals are complex and diverse. These characteristics are rare in mainland China and even in other parts of the world. It is clear that the Qinling Mountains are an important ecological security barrier in central China. From a historical and cultural point of view, the Qinling Mountains have an unshakable influence on the origin, development and evolution of Chinese civilization.

Because from the Lantian ape-man, the Qinling Mountains gave birth to early Chinese civilization, promoted the glory of the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties, and witnessed the difficult and tortuous development path of the Chinese nation. In fact, the Qinling Mountains also promoted the establishment of the inner spiritual world and core values ​​of the Chinese people. From this point of view, Qinling is not only the soul home of the Chinese people, but also the dragon vein of Chinese civilization.

Because the Qinling Mountains are the boundary between the south and the north of China, the founder and divider of the differences in geographical and climate resources between the south and the north, and the dividing line between the cultural differences between the south and the north of China. China has a scene of rain in the south and snow in the north, boats in the south and horses in the north, which makes China's culture rich and diverse, because it is not only the watershed of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, but also the birthplace of the Han River and the Wei River.