Taihang Mountains are so beautiful!

Tai means big

Walker, shape

Taihang Mountains

It is in the hearts of many Chinese people

That "big mountain"

Its shape is like a solidified wave

Surging and piling up to the horizon

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Taihang Mountains after snow, photographer @寒冰)

▼

It is tall enough

The highest peak of its main ridge is Xiao Wutai Mountain

2882 ​​meters above sea level

The highest peak of the branch, Mount Wutai, is the North Peak.

It is as high as 3061 meters

Far surpass the Five Mountains

(Xiao Wutai Mountain in Wei County, Hebei Province, photographer @徐方琛) ▼

Beyond the two highest peaks

More mountains rise from the plains

Forming a cliff

The ancients of the Central Plains

Marvel at the "Backbone of the World"

(The cliffs in Huixian, Henan, photographer @王红斌)

▼

Taihang Mountains are vast enough

It is known as the "Eight Hundred Miles of Taihang"

The actual length is more than 800 kilometers and the width is about 100 kilometers.

Spanning four provinces and cities: Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan

And divided North China into two

(Sketch of the Taihang Mountains and scenic spots, drawn by @Chen Jingyi/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

This tall and wide

Enough to protect thousands of lives

Until today

At a time when human activities are so intense

Rare species such as North China leopard, macaque, brown pheasant, etc.

Still thriving in Taihang Mountains

(M13, a North China leopard in Heshun, Shanxi, is currently the most powerful male leopard in the Taihang Mountains. He is the son of female leopard F7. Now he and his three children Pingping, Anan and Yeye, another female leopard, have also independently spread to the Taihang Mountains. Image source: @猫盟)

▼

According to the Planetary Research Institute

The significance of Taihang Mountains is extremely unique

Taihang Mountains

Shaped the landforms of North China

Taihang Mountains

Profoundly influenced the history and culture of North China

Taihang Mountains

North China's "Designer"

It can be said that

Taihang Mountains

North China

01

The Earth Rips

When you take the high-speed train or car

Across the northern part of the North China Plain

You will find a continuous and long "high wall"

The western horizon stretches across the plains

(Taihang Mountain is like a high wall on the west side of Beijing, photographer @李源)

▼

When you look down at the earth from an airplane

This high wall will reveal its full appearance

Towering mountains stretch across the land

There are sunken basins in between.

Such a vast depth

Such a complex structure

It is no longer a single mountain range as people usually understand it.

Rather, it can be called

Taihang Mountains

(Overlooking the Taihang Mountains from high altitude, photographer @陈剑峰, map @汉青/星球研究院) ▼

From the three-dimensional topographic map

We can see its structure more clearly

That is **"alternating basins and mountains"**

A series of parallel mountain ranges

Separated by a series of basins

Let the mountains look like a flock of geese

Starting from the southwest, flying to the northeast

(Sketch of the basin and branches on the west side of Taihang Mountain, drawn by @陈景逸/Planetary Research Institute) ▼

The southern end of the geese formation

Sanmenxia Basin and Yuncheng Basin

A narrow mountain range

Zhongtiao Mountain got its name from this.

(Zhongtiao Mountains in Yuanqu, Shanxi, photographer @李平安)

▼

Go North

The Linfen Basin is connected to the Jinzhong Basin from north to south.

They are connected with Taiyue Mountain, Shangdang Basin and Taihang Main Ridge.

Arranged alternately from west to east

Presenting a "basin-mountain-basin-mountain" pattern

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The Taiyue Mountains are located at the junction of Lingshi and Jiexiu in Shanxi. The plains below the mountains are located at the junction of the Linfen and Jinzhong basins. Photographer: @石耀臣)

▼

Further north

The trend of alternating basins and mountains gradually turns to the north and south

From south to north they are

Zhoushan and Xinding Basins

Wutai Mountain, Fanshi-Daixian Basin

Hengshan and Hunyuan Basin

Liuling Mountain, Datong Basin

Presenting layered

▼

Basin Basin Basin

Mountain Mountain Mountain

Basin Basin Basin

Mountain Mountain Mountain

Pen Pen Pen Pen Mountain Mountain Mountain Pen Pen Pen Pen **** Mountain Mountain Mountain (Hunyuan, Shanxi, where the northern slope of Hengshan Mountain connects to the basin, photographer @石耀臣) ▼

The northernmost

There is also a series of smaller basins

With Xiao Wutai Mountain, Beijing Xishan and other mountains

Intertwined

(Basins in the northern section of Taihang Mountains, photographer @吴亦丹, map @汉青/星球研究院)

▼

Different from the "collision and compression orogeny" that many people are familiar with

Such a complex pattern of basins and mountains

But more from

The tearing of the earth

Over 100 million years ago

Violent plate movement

This caused the mantle material beneath the North China Block to surge upward.

Under strong pull

The lithosphere begins to thin and stretch to the sides.

then

The earth began to break

Some places have dropped to become basins

Some places are relatively uplifted to become mountains

This is the basis for the alternating basins and mountains of Taihang Mountain today.

(Sketch of the formation of mountains and basins by the stretching of the lithosphere. Note: The lithosphere includes the rigid part of the crust and the top of the mantle, while the asthenosphere is located below the lithosphere and is the part of the mantle where plastic flow occurs. Map by @Hanqing/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

On a larger scale

The Taihang Mountains as a whole

They are all relatively elevated areas.

The North China Plain is an area of ​​overall decline.

This tearing of the earth

The terrain of Taihang Mountains and North China Plain

Completely parted ways

Not only that

This epic of earth-shattering

It also defines unique

Taihang Mountain Aesthetics

first

Many peaks of Taihang Mountain are not steep and rugged.

But it has a flat and wide

Mountaintop Platform

(Shunwangping, Lishan, Shanxi, 2,322 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in the southern section of Taihang Mountains, photographer @TYUT小崔)

▼

They were before the earth was torn apart

It is a flat area

When the earth is torn apart

These places were lifted up as a whole to become peaks

Still maintaining gentle ups and downs

now

Meadows and lakes

Distribute on it

Like a paradise on the clouds

(The lake of Xicheng Mountain in Yangcheng, Shanxi, is located on the top of a mountain with an altitude of more than 1,700 meters. Photographer: @焦潇翔) ▼

Or build roads, wind turbines

Dotted on the green carpet

(Dongdianziliang, Weixian County, Hebei Province, a mountaintop platform at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, picture source @Visual China) ▼

The most famous summit platform

Mount Wutai is the highest peak in the Taihang Mountains.

It has five peaks

They are all flat like a platform and are named after it.

Walking on it

Far away from the dangerous peaks and valleys at the foot of the mountain

As if you were on a vast plateau

(In Wutai Mountain, Xinzhou, Shanxi Province, the flat mountaintop meadows around Hongmen Rock contrast sharply with the rugged low mountains below. Photographer: Zhao Mengzhe) ▼

The second notable feature of Taihang Mountain aesthetics

It is a very eye-catching stepped mountain.

(In the Tianping Mountain area of ​​Linzhou, Henan, the stepped mountains rise from the plains, photographer @焦潇翔) ▼

Also because it is lifted from underground

Keep the mountain

Well-ordered horizontal rhythm

Horizontal strata of different hardness and softness are exposed at the edge of Taihang Mountain.

Some are hard and straight, protruding into cliffs

Some are fragile and breakable, becoming gentle slopes

When they are put together layer by layer

It forms a ladder

(Step-shaped mountain in Guanshan National Geopark, Huixian County, Henan Province, photographer @李琼) ▼

Side of the stairs

Often maintains a very steep slope

Sharp edges and corners, towering walls

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Jiaoding Mountain, Huixian County, Henan Province, photographer @焦潇翔) ▼

The gentle slopes between the cliffs

There are dense forests

There are even villages and fields.

Only when the quiet stream falls into a waterfall

It's surprising

This paradise-like scenery is surrounded by numerous cliffs.

(Baoquan Scenic Area in Huixian County, Henan Province, Tantou Village on the platform and Jianlong Waterfall on the edge of the platform, photographer @崔瀚予) ▼

The Zhangshiyan in Zanhuang, Hebei

It is the king of Taihang ladder

——Long cliff

Billions of years ago

Three layers of solid rock formed by sedimentation in the ocean

Lifted as a whole

After experiencing countless storms and erosions

Finally, a three-layer cliff was formed.

It looks like a curtain across the sky

Falling from an altitude of 1,700 meters

Stretching for dozens of kilometers

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the long cliff of Zhangshiyan in Zanhuang, Hebei, photographer @栗剑兵) ▼

So far

In the tearing of the earth

The Birth of Taihang Mountain

It changed the landscape of North China

It gave birth to a pattern of alternating basins and mountains.

It also gave birth to the Taihang aesthetics of platforms, stairs, long cliffs, etc.

The epic of Taihang Mountains

It didn’t stop there

A magnificent mountain-cutting and valley-filling

Further reshaping the land of North China

02

Cutting mountains and filling valleys

Taihang Mountains' subsequent shaping of North China

We need to start with precipitation

Year after year, the summer wind carries water vapor

Crossing the low-lying North China Plain and crashing into the Taihang Mountains

Water vapor is forced to rise

This cools down the water, condenses it, and forms clouds and causes rain.

Landing in Taihang Mountains

(In the summer in Taihang Mountains, there is abundant water vapor and rising clouds. Image source: Visual China) ▼

Under the erosion of flowing water

The mountain began to break and collapse

The edge of some mountaintop platforms

It also becomes tortuous and uneven

(The cliffs of Taihang Mountain, at the junction of Henan and Shanxi, photographer @王红斌) ▼

Until the platform is completely eroded

Peaks become forests

(Langya Mountain Peak Forest in Yi County, Hebei Province, image source: @Visual China) ▼

Peak forests continue to suffer destruction

Finally, there are lonely peaks left.

Alone and alone

(Lonely peak in Guanshan National Geopark, Huixian County, Henan Province, photographer @李琼) ▼

When the water has finished eroding the mountain

From the cliff

Falling straight down

(Longchuangkou Waterfall in Linzhou, Henan, photographer @寒冰) ▼

Then it converges into a rushing river in the valley.

With greater energy

Cutting the Taihang Mountains

Forming a dense and diverse canyon landscape

Yuntai Mountain in Xiuwu, Henan

The river flows through the hard red sandstone

Get out

Like a crack in the red earth

Known as "Red Rock Gorge"

(Hongshi Gorge, Yuntai Mountain, Xiuwu, Henan, photographer @石耀臣)

▼

Where the Dan River crosses the Taihang Mountains

A perfect horseshoe bay

Deeply embedded in the earth

The river meanders down

(The Qingtian River Scenic Area between Zezhou County, Shanxi Province and Boai County, Henan Province, is a section of the Dan River Canyon. Photographer: @崔瀚予)

▼

From Pingshun, Shanxi to Linzhou, Henan

Lushui River Canyon

The cliffs are spreading out layer by layer

More magnificent

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the canyon around Jingdi Village, Pingshun, Shanxi, photographer @焦潇翔) ▼

but

Changes of the Taihang Mountains Caused by Flowing Water

It doesn’t stop there

Millions of years ago

Strong uplift of Taihang Mountains

The basins on the west side of the mountain range were sealed into ancient lakes.

A number of large rivers on the eastern side of the mountain range

Erosion continues westward along the canyon

Eventually, the mountains surrounding the ancient lake were cut through.

The lake flows along the canyon and runs through Taihang Mountain.

This process is called "snatching"

(Sketch of river capture, drawn by @Hanqing/Planetary Research Institute) ▼

For example

Zhang River, Hutuo River, Tang River, Juma River, Yongding River

Their upper reaches are all located on the Shanxi Plateau

After gathering many tributaries

These great rivers

Entering the canyon that runs through the Taihang Mountains with a huge volume

Water flows like a dragon or snake, winding freely

Connecting the east and west of Taihang Mountain into a unified Haihe River system

(Juma River Gorge in Laishui, Hebei, photographer @吴亦丹) ▼

When rivers carry large amounts of gravel, sand, and dust

Flowing out of the mountains from the gorge

The mission of "cutting the mountain" was completed.

The Taihang Mountains began to shape North China more deeply **"filling the valley"**

The river channel swings frequently after leaving the mountain.

Gravel, sand, dust

Also sink down one by one

(Beijing Yongding River exit, photographer @吴亦丹) ▼

Basins in Taihang Mountains

It was filled with plains

(The Datong Basin in Shanxi Province under the Taihang Mountains, with a volcano erupting during the basin subsidence in the foreground, photographer @黄雪峰) ▼

And more water flow

Then it rushed out of the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain

Swinging on the low and wide land

Alluvial fans and flood fans are connected into belts

Like the "skirt" of Taihang Mountains

(Sketch of flood and alluvial fan at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, drawn by @陈景逸/Planetary Research Institute) ▼

The final scene of this "filling the valley" drama

It occurred at the southern end of Taihang Mountains about 1.2 million years ago

then

The Yellow River cuts through Sanmenxia

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the Yellow River flows through the canyon between Wangwu Mountain and Daimei Mountain in western Henan Province, photographer @崔瀚予)

▼

A huge ancient lake covering today's Yuncheng and Guanzhong areas

Discharge from outside

Only the Yuncheng Salt Lake remains as the last relic

(Shanxi Yuncheng Salt Lake, photographer @赵高翔)

▼

The Yellow River carries a huge amount of sediment from the Loess Plateau

On the plain that has been formed at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain

The Yellow River alluvial fan is superimposed on the

final

Under the relay of large and small rivers

The low-lying area on the east side of Taihang Mountain

The North China Plain was filled with fertile fields

(Farmland in the North China Plain, photographer @高泽安) ▼

that's all

Taihang Mountain, with its rocky body, turned into mud and sand.

Filling up the sunken basin

Cutting mountains and filling valleys, reorganizing rivers and mountains

And then

On the North China stage built in Taihang Mountains

It will also have a significant impact on human civilization

03

Civilization Backer

Since humans arrived in North China

I have an indissoluble bond with Taihang Mountain

There are many ancient human sites on both sides of Taihang Mountain.

The earliest can be traced back to more than 1.7 million years ago

them

Gathering in the forests and hunting in the foothills

Using rocks as tools and caves as homes

Tenaciously survive and evolve

The fire of civilization has been burning ever since.

(Distribution of major Paleolithic and Neolithic sites around Taihang Mountain, map by @陈景逸/Planet Research Institute) ▼

Taihang Mountains

It is also one of the origins of Chinese agriculture.

Nearly 10,000 years ago

In the valleys between the Taihang Mountains and on the alluvial fans in front of the mountains

The ancestors tried to grow the earliest millet and sorghum.

Now they have a more widely known name

Millet and yellow rice

(Some tools of Cishan Culture, photographer @Qin Nan, Visual China, map @Han Qing/Planet Research Institute) ▼

The farming talent of Taihang people

After thousands of years of development

Has reached its peak

They let the layers of terraces cover the mountaintops

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Shexian County, Hebei Province, photographer @魏贺荣) ▼

Also among the steep cliffs

Take advantage of every opportunity to create a home

(Pingshun, Shanxi, a rural family in the Taihang Mountains, photographer @寒冰) ▼

Of course, land more suitable for agriculture

The numerous alluvial fans concentrated in the eastern foothills of Taihang Mountains

The terrain here is high and dry

Free from flooding and salinity

The Taihang Mountains block the cold wind

The temperature is higher than the interior of the plain at the same latitude

They have been since ancient times

It is a developed agricultural center

Dense population also gave rise to

The earliest "urban cluster" in North China

(Yinxu Royal Tomb Site in Anyang, Henan, photographer @丁俊豪)

▼

This is a road on the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain.

**“Ancient Capital Corridor” with 3,000 years of history**

Whether it is the prosperous Beijing

Or the lost glory of Handan

Or has it already been reduced to dust?

Chaoge, Yinxu, Yecheng, Yanxiadu, Zhongshan Lingshou Ancient City

......

Three thousand years

Famous cities that rise and fall

All of them are inseparable from the gift of Taihang Mountain

(Beijing City under Taihang Mountain, photographer @Huang Jianqiu) ▼

The west side of Taihang Mountain

It is a country with natural mountains and rivers, surrounded by mountains on all sides.

In the center of a basin

Historical cities such as Datong and Taiyuan also rose one after another

(Aerial photography in Datong, Shanxi, photographer @亂言) ▼

Taihang Mountain

Civilization flourishes

Taihang Mountains themselves

It became an important military barrier

Today

Crossing the Taihang Mountains is still not easy

People cut through the mountains to make a road

Let the road hang on the high cliff

(Shenlongwan Cliff-hanging Road in Pingshun, Shanxi, photographer @焦潇翔) ▼

Or build a bridge in the air

Crossing the bottomless canyon

(Xian Shen River Bridge in Zezhou, Shanxi, with piers up to 150 meters high, photographer @邓国晖) ▼

For the ancients

Very limited engineering skills

It can only be used

Faults and rivers cut through natural channels in the mountains

Crossing the Taihang Mountains

The eight most convenient roads to travel

It is called "Eight Xings of Taihang" in history.

(Sketch of the Eight Peaks of Taihang Mountains and the direction of the Ming Great Wall, drawn by @陈景逸/Planetary Research Institute) ▼

Connected to the desert in the north and controlled by Heluo in the south

It borders Qin and Jin in the west and Youyan in the east

Taihang Mountains are destined to become a battleground for military strategists

Whether it is the grassland peoples moving south

Confrontation with the Central Plains Dynasty from north to south

Or is it internal disputes in the Central Plains?

The Eastern and Western Warlords Separatist

The battle over Taihang Mountain is extremely critical

(The Badaling Great Wall in Yanqing, Beijing, and the Junduxing Valley where Juyongguan is located are recognized as the northern boundary of the Taihang Mountains. Photographer: Yang Dong) ▼

Late Warring States Period

The importance of Taihang Mountain began to emerge

Qin defeated Zhao in the Battle of Changping

Thus, they seized the Shangdang Basin in the southern section of the Taihang Mountains.

Here is the Fukou Pass, which leads directly down to the Zhao capital Handan.

There are also Baixing and Taihangxing to the lower reaches of the Yellow River

It has a commanding position over the Central Plains

From now on, there will be no more obstacles to the east.

The process of unifying the world was thus established.

(Near the Yan Emperor's Mausoleum in Gaoping, Shanxi Province, the valley behind is the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Changping, photographer @石耀臣) ▼

Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

Taihang Mountain became a place of division and conflict for many political powers in the north

Former Qin, Former Yan, Later Yan, Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Western Wei, etc.

The changing dynasties

The battle is fought around this mountain

Once one side loses the Taihang Mountains

After that, there was no defense and no way to turn the tide.

(The tall Great Wall between Huailai, Hebei and Changping, Beijing, is responsible for protecting the flank of Juyongguan. Photographer: Yang Dong) ▼

Ming Dynasty

Taihang Mountain became a barrier to protect the capital

It is also the main battlefield to resist the northern grassland forces from moving southwards.

Junduxing, Puyinxing, and Feihuxing near Beijing

Status has become more important than ever

New or additional Great Wall passes are constantly being built on the Taihang Mountains

Juyong Pass, Zijing Pass, Daoma Pass and other important passes

Standing among the mountains

(Beijing Changping Juyongguan is located in the middle of the Jundu Xingshan Valley. It can be said that "one man guards the pass and ten thousand men cannot open it." Photographer @杨东) ▼

During the Anti-Japanese War

The Iron Wall of Taihang Mountains

It became the backbone of the Chinese nation in resisting aggression.

This epic heroic story

It is the most vivid national memory of Taihang Mountains.

The Taihang Mountains, a system of basins and mountains

Like a natural fortress

Chinese troops on the front line

In Nankou, Pingxingguan, Yanmenguan, Xinkou and other places

Relying on the mountains to stubbornly resist the Japanese invaders

Among them, the Pingxingguan Battle

The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army set up an ambush in the mountain valley

Annihilate more than 1,000 Japanese troops who invaded Pingxingguan

A large amount of weapons and supplies were seized

Breaking the myth of the invincibility of the Japanese army

The morale of the army and civilians across the country was boosted

(Pingxingguan Village, Fanshi, Shanxi, photographer @杨东) ▼

When cities and transportation lines in North China fell one after another

The Taihang Mountains: Easy to Defend but Hard to Attack

It has become the most solid

Behind Enemy Lines

At that time, Taihang Mountains

There are only a few roads that can be used for traffic.

The Japanese were forced to fight on foot

Heavy weapons also have difficulty in exerting their advantages

The Chinese army, mainly the Eighth Route Army

Take advantage of your familiarity with the terrain and the cooperation of the people

Deal with and fight the enemy

In the midst of heavy siege

Instead, the power is growing

The base area expanded to dozens of counties north and south of Taihang Mountain.

(The area around Huangyadong in Licheng, Shanxi, is the location of the Eighth Route Army Arsenal, picture source @Visual China) ▼

Autumn and Winter 1940

The Eighth Route Army came out of the Taihang Mountains

Gathering more than 100 regiments of troops

Attack railways, mines, and cities controlled by the Japanese

It dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's rule and plunder in North China.

This "Hundred Regiments War"

Just like a wonderful sword show

The base of Taihang Mountain

It was the sword against the throat of the Japanese invaders.

Standing firm in the heart of North China

Until the victory of the war

(The Hundred Regiments Campaign Monument is located in Yangquan, Shanxi, one of the main battlefields at the time. It is like a sword piercing the sky. Image source: Visual China) ▼

Beyond the continuous war

Taihang Mountain is also culturally

Play an important role

Wangwu Mountain in the southern part of Taihang Mountains

Ranked first among the ten great Taoist caves

Strange peaks shrouded in mist

Like a fairy's abode

(Wangwu Mountain in Jiyuan, Henan, photographer @邓国晖) ▼

Mount Wutai in the northern part of Taihang Mountains

Qingliang Mountain

It has a climate and landform similar to that of the plateau.

It is a famous Buddhist mountain where both Han and Tibetan Buddhism are equally important.

Attracting believers from Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups

Come from afar to pay homage

(Pusading of Mount Wutai in Xinzhou, Shanxi, photographer @杨国军)

▼

On the cliff of Hengshan Mountain

The small Hanging Temple

Confucius, Laozi, Sakyamuni

In this small place

A squeeze lasts for a thousand years

(Hanging Temple in Hunyuan, Shanxi Province is located in the canyon of Hengshan Mountain. Photographer: Shi Yaochen) ▼

also

Taihang Mountains from the northern grassland nomadic zone

Extending into the heart of the Central Plains

It is conducive to the division and survival of various ethnic groups here.

It also facilitates its spread to various parts of North China

Taihang Mountains in history

A melting pot of northern ethnic groups

From the Baidi (dí) and Chidi (red) in the Spring and Autumn Period

The Xiongnu and Jie people who surrendered to the Han Dynasty

Then the Xianbei who migrated south during the Sixteen Kingdoms

Ethnic groups come and go in Taihang Mountains

Finally, they all merged into the great stream of the Chinese nation.

(Datong, Shanxi was once the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty established by the Xianbei people. The Yungang Grottoes excavated by the Northern Wei royal family are a treasure of Buddhist art in North China. Photographer: Huang Xuefeng) ▼

04

end

that's all

Taihang Mountains completed the shaping of North China

Achieved the geological epic of eastern China

The most exciting chapter

It also achieved its own ultimate scenery

Taihang Mountains today

You can drive on the meadow

Watch the sunset covering the long cliff

(Looking at the mountains from Dongdianziliang, Weixian County, Hebei Province, photographer @秦建) ▼

When the snow clears in winter

See the lonely peak hanging in the sea of ​​clouds

(Winter sea of ​​clouds at Wangwu Mountain in Jiyuan, Henan, photographer @原震宇) ▼

In the hot summer

Watch the stream fall down the cliff

(Cliffs and waterfalls in Huixian, Henan, photographer @崔瀚予)

▼

You can also see the mountains surging like waves

Continue to write the legend that shapes North China

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Taihang Mountains in Handan, Hebei, photographer @邯郸老崔) ▼

A series of mountain ranges represented by the Taihang Mountains

Shaped the division between the second and third terraces of China's terrain

Just like the rise of Taihang Mountains

With the formation of the North China Plain

The uplift of Daxinganling, Wushan and Xuefeng Mountains

It was also accompanied by the formation of the Northeast Plain and the Jianghan Plain.

This terrain ladder runs from north to south

Separating the grasslands and deserts from the white mountains and black waters

Separating the loess plateau from the fertile soil of the Central Plains

Separating the Southwest Mountain Country from the Land of Fish and Rice

(The location of Taihang Mountain in China, map by @Chen Jingyi/Planetary Research Institute) ▼

However, as we have seen in the history of Taihang Mountains

Separation is not the end of the story

Connection is

It is on this staircase

Hundreds of rivers flow eastward

It carves out magnificent mountains and shapes vast plains.

It is on both sides of this staircase

The ancestors of China lit up the starry sky of civilization

Living together for another thousand years

Tested by blood and fire

Finally converge into

A harmonious yet diverse China

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Taihang Grand Canyon in Linzhou, Henan, photographer @寒冰) ▼

This article was created by

- Planet Research Institute -

Written by : Li Chuyang

Editor : Director & Yunwukongcheng

Image : Xu Ying

Design : Hanqing

Map : Chen Jingyi

Reviewer : Wang Luzhi & Hong He & Yun Wu Kong Cheng & Chen Zhihao

Cover Photographers : Li Jianbing, Wang Hongbin

Audit Expert

Su Dechen, researcher at the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences

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