Changbai Mountains
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| Changbai Mountains | |||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese: | 長白山地 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese: | 长白山地 | ||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||
| Chosŏn'gŭl: | 백두산맥 | ||||||||
| Hancha: | 白頭山脈 | ||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||
| Manchu: |  Golmin šanggiyan alin |
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The Changbai Mountains or Baekdu Mountains are a mountain range on the border between China and North Korea (41°41' to 42°51'N; 127°43' to 128°16'E). The range extends from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning to the North Korean provinces of Ryanggang and Chagang. Most peaks exceed 2,000 metres in height, with the highest mountain being Baekdu Mountain (Changbai Mountain).
The range represents the mythical birthplace of Bukūri Yongšon, ancestor of Nurhaci and the Aisin Gioro Imperial family, who were the founders of the Manchu state and the Chinese Qing Dynasty. The name literally means "Perpetually White Mountain Region" in Mandarin Chinese and "Perpetually White Mountain Range" in Korean.
Changbaishan Nature Reserve, established in 1960, was involved in the UNESCO's "Man and Biosphere" program in 1980 and becomes part of the world's biosphere reserves. Approved by the State Council in 1986, it becomes a State-level reserve.
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[edit] History
It was first recorded in the Chinese classic text Shan Hai Jing with the name Buxian Shan[1]. It's also called Shanshan Daling[2] in the Book of Later Han. In the New Book of Tang, it was called Taibai Shan[3].
The territory has been, successively, the home of the Malgal tribes and Jurchen people, occupied by the kingdoms of Goguryeo, Balhae and Liao (Khitan,907-1125).ref>《契丹国志》(Records of Khitan Empire):"长白山在冷山东南千余里......禽兽皆白。"(Baekdu Mountain is a thousand miles to the south of Cold Mountain...Birds and animals there are all white.)</ref>[4]
The Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) bestowed the title "the King Who Makes the Nation Prosperous and Answers with Miracles" (興國靈應王 Xingguo Lingying Wang) on the mountain god in 1172 and it was promoted to "the Emperor Who Cleared the Sky with Tremendous Sagehood" (開天宏聖帝 Kaitian Hongsheng Emperor) in 1193. According to Wei Yuan's work on warfare in the early Qing Dynasty, Shengwuji ("Our august dynasty's military memorial"), the Tungus tribes of Neyen and Yalu were living in this territory during in the Ming dynasty. Later it formed part of the Manchu Later Jin Empire (changed to Qing), created by Nurhaci. During the Qing Dynasty, the Kangxi Emperor designated the Baekdu Mountain as the legendary birthplace of the imperial family Aisin Gioro following a survey. He set a forbidden zone around the mountain. The Qing Dynasty held annual rites for the mountain, as did the earlier Jin Dynasty.
[edit] Economy
The range plays an important economic role. It is known for a variety of ginseng that grows there. In addition, the heavily-forested slopes are an important area for logging. In recent years, tourism has also become an increasingly important source of revenue on the Chinese side.
[edit] Geography and climate
The highest mountain is Baekdu Mountain (2,745 m), a volcano which is also known as Changbai Mountain. Baekdu mountain is the source of the Songhua, Tumen (Tuman) and Yalu (Amnok) rivers. Many tributaries of the Liao He also originate from the Changbai Mountains.
The climate in the mountains is very cold during winter, with absolute minima on the highest peaks in January as low as −45°C (−49°F), but reaching 17°C (62°F) in July. Precipitation is low in the winter but in the higher parts very high in the summer, with annual averages reaching as high as 1,150 mm (45 inches) and over 300 mm (12 inches) in July alone. The dry winters mean there are no glaciers even on the highest and wettest peaks, but permafrost extends down to 1,800 metres (5,900 feet) and is continuous on the highest peaks.
[edit] Flora and fauna
The rugged terrain of the Baekdu Mountains provides refuge for many rare animals, including bears, and Siberian tigers. A large portion of the Jilin Province side is protected as the Baekdu Nature Reserve (長白山自然保護區), which covers more than 2,100 square kilometres.
The vegetation of the mountain slopes is divided into several different zones. At the top, above 2000 metres, tundra predominates. From 1700 to 2000 metres, vegetation is dominated by mountain birch and larch. Below this zone, and down to 1100 metres, the dominant trees are spruce, fir, and Korean pine. From 600 to 1100 metres, the landscape is dominated by mixed forest, consisting of Amur linden, Korean pine, maple, and elm. Further down, a temperate hardwood forest is found, dominated by second-growth poplar and birch. (Liu et al., p. 3388).
[edit] References
- Liu, Q.J., Takamura, T., Takeuchi, N., Shao, G. (2002). Mapping of boreal vegetation of a temperate mountain in China by multitemporal LANDSAT imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing 23(17), 3385–3405.
[edit] See also
- Baekdu Mountain
- Changbai Waterfall
- Geography of China
- Geography of North Korea
- List of mountains in Korea
[edit] Notes
- ^ 不咸山,即神仙山, the Mountain with God. 《山海經·大荒北經》:"大荒之中，有山名曰不咸，有肅慎氏之國。"
- ^ 單單大嶺, the Big Big Big Mountain. 《說文》:"單，大也。" 《後漢書·東夷列傳》:"自單單大領(嶺)已東，沃沮、濊貊悉屬樂浪。"
- ^ 《新唐書·北狄渤海傳》:"契丹(李)盡忠殺營州都督趙翽反，有舍利乞乞仲象者，與靺鞨酋乞四比羽及高麗餘種東走，度遼水，保太白山之東北，阻奧婁河，樹壁自固。"
- ^ 《金史.卷第三十五》(Official Records of Jurchen Jin Dynasty)："長白山在興王之地，禮合尊崇，議封爵，建廟宇。""厥惟長白，載我金德，仰止其高，實惟我舊邦之鎮。”(English translation: "Baekdu Mountain is in old Jurchen's land, highly respectful, suitable for building temples.""Only the Baekdu Mountain can carry Jurchen Jin Dynasty's spirit; It is so high; It is a part of our old land.")
[edit] External links
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