Mount Longmen (Shanxi)
Encyclopedia
Lóngmén Shān, Mount Longmen or Longmen Mountain is a mountain in Shanxi
province, China
. In March-April 2010, the Wangjialing coal mine flood
occurred here.
abruptly leaves the vast, rugged expanse of the Loess Plateau
that spreads out in the mountain's north and west to enter a plain which connects both to the nearby Linfen Basin in the east and to the Guanzhong Plain
further southwest. The mountain is thus a part of the Loess Plateau's southern edge. At the same time, it forms the south-western extreme point of the Lüliang Mountains
, a range that runs parallel to the river as it flows south.
The spot at Lóngmén Shān's southwestern tip where the Yellow River breaks through is called Yǔménkǒu ' onMouseout='HidePop("52570")' href="/topics/Yu_the_Great">Yu
's doorway, or gate”). Here, three bridges span the Yellow River. As there are no other nearby bridges either upstream or downstream, this is the only dry connection from Xiangning County
and Hejin (in Shanxi province) across the river to Hancheng
(in Shaanxi
province), hence the name Xiang-Han Yellow River Bridge(s) .
From Yǔménkǒu, Lóngmén Shān stretches in a straight northeasterly direction and then slightly bends eastward toward its opposite end, where a ravine breaks through to the plain, separating Lóngmén Shān from the rest of the Lüliang Mountains.
of Hejin in the prefecture-level city
of Yuncheng
; only the mountain's northeastern end reaches into Xiangning County
in the prefecture-level city of Linfen
. All these are in the province of Shanxi, but the similarly named province of Shaanxi is just across the Yellow River that forms the boundary between these two provinces until much further upstream and downstream.
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. In March-April 2010, the Wangjialing coal mine flood
2010 Wangjialing coal mine flood
The Wangjialing coal mine flood is an incident that began on Sunday, March 28, 2010, when underground water flooded parts of the Wangjialing coal mine in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. A total of 261 people were in the mine when workers first broke through an abandoned shaft that was...
occurred here.
Geography
Lóngmén Shān is where the Yellow RiverYellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
abruptly leaves the vast, rugged expanse of the Loess Plateau
Loess Plateau
The Loess Plateau , also known as the Huangtu Plateau, is a plateau that covers an area of some 640,000 km² in the upper and middle reaches of China's Yellow River. Loess is the name for the silty sediment that has been deposited by wind storms on the plateau over the ages...
that spreads out in the mountain's north and west to enter a plain which connects both to the nearby Linfen Basin in the east and to the Guanzhong Plain
Guanzhong
Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...
further southwest. The mountain is thus a part of the Loess Plateau's southern edge. At the same time, it forms the south-western extreme point of the Lüliang Mountains
Lüliang Mountains
The Lüliang Mountains is a mountain range along the western border of Shanxi, China. To the west is Shaanxi with the south-flowing part of the Yellow River and the Ordos Region. To the east is the central valley of Shanxi with the south-flowing Fen River and then the Taihang Mountains and the...
, a range that runs parallel to the river as it flows south.
The spot at Lóngmén Shān's southwestern tip where the Yellow River breaks through is called Yǔménkǒu ' onMouseout='HidePop("52570")' href="/topics/Yu_the_Great">Yu
Yu the Great
Yu the Great , was a legendary ruler of Ancient China famed for his introduction of flood control, inaugurating dynastic rule in China by founding the Xia Dynasty, and for his upright moral character....
's doorway, or gate”). Here, three bridges span the Yellow River. As there are no other nearby bridges either upstream or downstream, this is the only dry connection from Xiangning County
Xiangning County
Xiangning County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Linfen city.-References:*...
and Hejin (in Shanxi province) across the river to Hancheng
Hancheng
Hancheng is a county-level city of Shaanxi, China.Hancheng may also refer to:*Hancheng, Tangshan , town in Fengrun District, Tangshan, Hebei, China*Seoul, South Korea, often known in Chinese as Hancheng...
(in 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...
province), hence the name Xiang-Han Yellow River Bridge(s) .
From Yǔménkǒu, Lóngmén Shān stretches in a straight northeasterly direction and then slightly bends eastward toward its opposite end, where a ravine breaks through to the plain, separating Lóngmén Shān from the rest of the Lüliang Mountains.
Administration
Administratively, the main part of Lóngmén Shān is in the county-level cityCounty-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
of Hejin in the prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of Yuncheng
Yuncheng
Yuncheng is the southernmost municipality in Shanxi province, China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan and Shaanxi provinces to the south and west....
; only the mountain's northeastern end reaches into Xiangning County
Xiangning County
Xiangning County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Linfen city.-References:*...
in the prefecture-level city of Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...
. All these are in the province of Shanxi, but the similarly named province of Shaanxi is just across the Yellow River that forms the boundary between these two provinces until much further upstream and downstream.