Daba Mountains
Encyclopedia
Daba Mountains, or Dabashan is a mountain range in Central China, north of the Yangtze River
.
and Chongqing
, and on the other side (northeast and north) Shaanxi
and Hubei
. The mountains of Shennongjia
are often considered the easternmost section of the Daba Range.
The southern slope of the Daba Mountains drains into the Sichuan Basin
or directly into the Yangzte via short streams that flow into the river in the Three Gorges area, such as the Shen Nong Stream
. The northern side drains into the Han River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, which, however, does not join the Yangtze until some hundreds kilometers to the east (in Wuhan
).
Daba Mountains' highest points are in the Shennongjia massif in Shennongjia
Forest District. The three tallest peaks, located west of Muyu
town, are Shennong Deng ("Shennong Peak", 3105 m elevation), Da Shennongjia ("Great Shennongjia", 3052 m), and Xiao Shennongjia ("Lesser Shennongjia", 3005 m, on the district's border with Badong County). Laojun Shan, 2936 m tall, is located northeast of Muyu.
In the southeast, the Daba Mountains are joined to the Wu Mountains, which block the Yangtze's flow out of the Sichuan Basin
. In the east, the small Jingshan Range
(in the southern part of the Xiangfan
Prefecture) can be viewed as the extreme extension of the Daba Mountains. In the northeast, the Wudang Mountains
are nearby; some authors even consider them a "branch" of the Daba Mountains.
that should be a priority for conservation. Dabashan National Nature Reserve is located in the Chongqing part of the Daba Mountains (Chengkou County
); Shennongjia Mountain Nature Reserve (704 km2), in Hubei
(Shennongjia
Forestry District).
The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a deciduous conifer endemic to the Daba Shan, whose nearest living relatives are the Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia of California. Redwoods formerly ranged across the northern hemisphere, but were thought to be extinct outside California until stands of Dawn Redwood were discovered in the Daba Shan in the 1940’s.
Plants of the Daba Mountains
tree, a medicinal plant.
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
.
Geography
The Daba Mountains run in the general west-northwest to east-southeast direction, along the border between, on the one side (southwest and south) SichuanSichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
and Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, and on the other side (northeast and north) Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
. The mountains of Shennongjia
Shennongjia
Shennongjia Forestry District is a county-level administrative unit in Hubei province, directly subordinated to the provincial government...
are often considered the easternmost section of the Daba Range.
The southern slope of the Daba Mountains drains into the Sichuan Basin
Sichuan basin
The Sichuan Basin is a lowland region in southwestern China. Despite its historical name, it is not only synonymous to Sichuan province, comprising its central and eastern portions as well as part of Chongqing Municipality...
or directly into the Yangzte via short streams that flow into the river in the Three Gorges area, such as the Shen Nong Stream
Shen Nong Stream
Shennong Stream is a left tributary of the Yangtze River, located in the Hubei Province of central China. Fed by tributaries some of which come from the Shennongjia Forestry District, the stream flows south, falling into the Yangtze opposite the city of Badong.Originally the Shennong Stream...
. The northern side drains into the Han River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, which, however, does not join the Yangtze until some hundreds kilometers to the east (in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
).
Daba Mountains' highest points are in the Shennongjia massif in Shennongjia
Shennongjia
Shennongjia Forestry District is a county-level administrative unit in Hubei province, directly subordinated to the provincial government...
Forest District. The three tallest peaks, located west of Muyu
Muyu, Hubei
Muyu is a town in Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei Province, China. Located on China National Highway 209, it is the main population and services center of the southern part of the district....
town, are Shennong Deng ("Shennong Peak", 3105 m elevation), Da Shennongjia ("Great Shennongjia", 3052 m), and Xiao Shennongjia ("Lesser Shennongjia", 3005 m, on the district's border with Badong County). Laojun Shan, 2936 m tall, is located northeast of Muyu.
In the southeast, the Daba Mountains are joined to the Wu Mountains, which block the Yangtze's flow out of the Sichuan Basin
Sichuan basin
The Sichuan Basin is a lowland region in southwestern China. Despite its historical name, it is not only synonymous to Sichuan province, comprising its central and eastern portions as well as part of Chongqing Municipality...
. In the east, the small Jingshan Range
Jingshan Mountains
The Jingshan Mountains are a chain of mountains in the western part of Nanzhang County, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China. Stretching for around 150 kilometers, their peaks range in height from 1200 to about 1800 meters above sea level with the highest peak, Mount Julong , reaching an...
(in the southern part of the Xiangfan
Xiangfan
Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China. It was formed from two famous ancient cities, Xiangyang and Fancheng...
Prefecture) can be viewed as the extreme extension of the Daba Mountains. In the northeast, the Wudang Mountains
Wudang Mountains
The Wudang Mountains , also known as Wu Tang Shan or simply Wudang, are a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei Province of People's Republic of China, just to the south of the city of Shiyan.-Geography:...
are nearby; some authors even consider them a "branch" of the Daba Mountains.
Natural environment
The natural landscape of the region, the Daba Mountains evergreen forests, is listed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as one of the world's 200 ecoregionsGlobal 200
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund as priorities for conservation. According to the WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their...
that should be a priority for conservation. Dabashan National Nature Reserve is located in the Chongqing part of the Daba Mountains (Chengkou County
Chengkou County
Chengkou County is a county in Chongqing municipality, China.-Administrative divisions:Chengkou County has 7 towns and 17 townships:* Towns : Gecheng , Xincheng , Xiuqi , Gaoguan , Miaoba , Bashan , Pingba , Mingtong ....
); Shennongjia Mountain Nature Reserve (704 km2), in Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
(Shennongjia
Shennongjia
Shennongjia Forestry District is a county-level administrative unit in Hubei province, directly subordinated to the provincial government...
Forestry District).
The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a deciduous conifer endemic to the Daba Shan, whose nearest living relatives are the Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia of California. Redwoods formerly ranged across the northern hemisphere, but were thought to be extinct outside California until stands of Dawn Redwood were discovered in the Daba Shan in the 1940’s.
Plants of the Daba Mountains
Land use
Presently, terraced agriculture is expanded in the Daba Mountains. A widely planted cash crop is the EucommiaEucommia
Eucommia is a small tree native to China. It is near threatened in the wild, but is widely cultivated in China for its bark, highly valued in herbology such as Traditional Chinese medicine .-Characteristics:...
tree, a medicinal plant.