North and East China

Most of the mountains of China are physiographically related to those of Central Asia. Those east of 110° longitude can be considered in two components as extensive ranges north of the Huang-Ho and the maritime hills to the south. Commencing from the north-west are two ranges, the Changbai and the Great Khingan enclosing Manchuria. The former range along the Korean border trends north-east/south-west and averages 1,000 masl with some peaks exceeding 2,700m. The latter straddles along the Russian and Mongolian boundary into Inner Mongolia. The Greater Khingan Range, from 1,100 - 1,400m in average elevation, has a gentle gradient with rounded tops. The eastern slopes have a comparatively moist climate and are covered with forests. These two ranges, with high points of 2,744m and 1,656m respectively, are aligned south-west/north-east. South-west of the Great Khingan across Inner Mongolia is the Taihan Shan. It stretches 400km north-south as a boundary between the Shani Plateau and the plain of north China. The high point on the range, Wutai Shan, has been a sacred site for Buddhist pilgrims from early times. It has a pronounced cold temperate climate becoming increasingly arid towards the west. The main cultural groups are the Korean in Changbai and the Manchu, Mongol, Evenki and Oroqen in Great Khingan, and they are mostly of the Altaic language family. The area has experienced extensive deforestation for agricultural expansion since the 14th century (Rost 1999). However, there has been intensified reforestation in recent decades.

The mountains of China south of the Huang River and east of the Wuhan Basin are basically hill ranges that appear prominent owing to the surrounding lowlands. The most northerly of these is the Tai Shan in Shandong province. It is an east-west aligned outlier rising above the vast delta of the Huang. The main summit, Yuhuang Ding (1,524m), known as the Jade Emperor Peak, has been revered since ancient times in folk, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions. Another range north of the Yangtze River is the Dabei Shan on the border of Anhwei and Hupeh provinces. The fold axis running north-west/south-east links it structurally to the Qinling Shan to the west. The eastern section of the range is higher (approaching 3,000m) and more complex. The area produces timber and bamboo and also grows high quality tea.

There are numerous small ranges south of the Yangtze, all with south-west/north-east alignments. Those encircling the Kiangsi Plain (with Poyang Lake) clock-wise from the north-east are the Jiuling, Wugong, Nan Ling, Wuyi, and Tianmu. Jiuling Shan has three parallel ranges with extremely rugged topography. Most of the ranges exceed 1,000m in height, the dominant peak being the Wu-mei (1,686m). The area is heavily forested. Wugong Range lies south of the Jiuling Range, traversing the Kiangsi-Hunan border. Its western section averages 1,500m while the lower eastern section has three parallel ranges. The forests are rich in pine and cedar. The Nan Ling, running eastwards from Guanxi to Qiansi, forms the watershed between the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers; and these granite ranges are generally at 1,000m in altitude, approaching 2,000m in some places. Despite being low, the Nan Ling is an effective barrier to northern cold waves, so that the climate south of it is warm and supports crops all year round. The highest point is the Shinkenkong (1,902m) due north of the Guandong Basin. Further east from Huamei Shan (1,673m) the range has two spurs: the Luoxiao northwards and Dayu Ling eastwards.

The south-east maritime hills run parallel to the coastline east of the Qiangsi Plain. The Wuyi Shan runs north-east along the Qiangsi/Fukien border. The range is much eroded and the highest peak, Huangang (2,158m), lies towards the north. Further north, Tianmu Shan also trends north-west demarcating the boundary between Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. The high points on the range are the Shier Shan (1,262m) in the south and the Xitianmu (1,507m) in the north. The range is famous for dense forest and tea plantation. Finally, there are the coastal ranges of the Daiyun Shan and Donggan Shan which are traversed by the Min River, debouching at Fuzhou. There are about a dozen national minorities in these southern highlands who predominantly speak Sino-Tibetan languages and practise sedentary farming.

In contrast to the hills of coastal mainland China, those across the Formosa Strait in Taiwan are truly mountainous. The backbone of the island is the Chungyang Shanmo that trends north-south. It rises steeply from the Pacific to slope gradually westwards. Two-thirds of the land surface is composed of rugged highlands. The highest peak is the Yue Shan (3,997m) in the central part of the range. Abundant rainfall supports luxuriant vegetation.The tree line lies above 3,600m owing to the island's position astride the Tropic of Cancer. The montane people belong to the tribal Malay groups who practise shifting cultivation.