The Qinling Mountains run east–west for about 1,500 km across southern Gansu, southern Shaanxi and western Henan, separating the Yellow River basin from the Yangtze basin. They are China's traditional dividing line between north and south in climate, farming and vegetation, reach about 3,771 metres at Mount Taibai, and shelter giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, takin and the crested ibis.
- Giant Panda National Park (Qinling sections) · 2021
- National nature reserves (Foping, Taibai Shan and others)
Key facts
Overview
Geographers draw China's north–south boundary along the Qinling and the Huai River: roughly the line of the 0 °C January isotherm and of about 800 mm of annual rainfall. North of the range lie the loess, wheat and millet of the Wei River plain; south of it the Han River valley has rice, citrus and tea, and a milder, wetter climate. The mountains block cold winter air from the north and hold back summer monsoon moisture from the south, so the two slopes differ sharply.
In Shaanxi the name Qinling, “Qin ridge”, is used for the whole mountain belt between the Wei and the Han, including Mount Hua, Mount Taibai and the Zhongnan Mountains south of Xi'an. For three thousand years the range stood between the capitals of the Wei valley and Sichuan, crossed by plank roads and passes that shaped the history of the Qin, Han and Tang.
How the landscape formed
The Qinling is an old orogenic belt formed where the North China and South China blocks collided in the Palaeozoic and Triassic, and it was uplifted again in the Cenozoic. The northern side is a steep fault scarp above the Wei River graben, cut by short, deep valleys known as yu (峪); the southern side falls away in long ridges and valleys towards the Han River. Granite peaks such as Hua Shan stand along the northern front, and the highest summits around Taibai show traces of Quaternary glaciation.
Highlights
Mount Taibai
太白山
The highest peak of the range, about 3,771 metres, with glacial tarns below the summit.
Mount Hua
华山
The granite Western Peak at the eastern end of the Shaanxi Qinling.
Zhongnan Mountains
终南山
The section south of Xi'an, long a retreat for Daoist and Buddhist hermits.
Foping
佛坪
Forested county on the southern slope with a national nature reserve known for wild giant pandas.
Yang County
洋县
The rice-growing county in the Han valley where the last wild crested ibises were found in 1981.
Plants and wildlife
The Qinling is where the floras and faunas of northern and southern China overlap, and it is one of the most important biodiversity areas in the country. Its forests shelter a distinct population of giant pandas, as well as golden snub-nosed monkeys, takin, clouded leopards and many birds. The crested ibis, reduced to seven birds in 1981, has recovered from the Yang County population and has been reintroduced elsewhere.
Plants
Arrow bamboo
箭竹
Understorey bamboos that are the main food of the Qinling pandas.
Kingdonia
独叶草
Kingdonia uniflora, a one-leaved relict herb of the high forests.
Chinese cork oak
栓皮栎
Quercus variabilis, a common tree of the lower slopes.
Wildlife
Qinling giant panda
秦岭大熊猫
Described as a separate subspecies, Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis, with brown-and-white individuals recorded.
Crested ibis
朱鹮
Nipponia nippon, saved from extinction from the Yang County birds.
Golden snub-nosed monkey
金丝猴
Rhinopithecus roxellana lives in large troops in the mixed forests.
Takin
羚牛
The Qinling or golden takin, a heavy goat-antelope of the high forests.
Culture and legend
The Qinling guarded the Wei valley capitals of the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties. Roads over the range — the plank roads of the Baoxie, Tangluo and Ziwu routes — linked them with Hanzhong and Sichuan and appear in the history of Liu Bang and of the Three Kingdoms. The Zhongnan Mountains became a byword for reclusion: Daoists place Laozi's composition of the Daodejing at Louguantai, Buddhist schools founded monasteries in the valleys, and the poet Wang Wei had his country retreat at Wangchuan in the foothills.
云横秦岭家何在？雪拥蓝关马不前。Yún héng Qínlǐng jiā hé zài? Xuě yōng Lánguān mǎ bù qián.
“Clouds lie across the Qinling — where is my home? Snow banks up at Lan Pass, and my horse will go no further.”
— Han Yu, “Demoted, Arriving at Lan Pass, Shown to My Grandnephew Xiang” (左迁至蓝关示侄孙湘), 819
Louguantai
楼观台
Daoist temple in Zhouzhi where, in tradition, Laozi gave the Daodejing to the gatekeeper Yin Xi.
Shimen plank road
石门栈道
Site of the ancient Baoxie road near Hanzhong, with a tunnel dated to the Han dynasty.
Caotang Temple
草堂寺
Monastery at the foot of the Zhongnan Mountains where Kumarajiva translated Buddhist scriptures in the early fifth century.
History
206 BCE
Liu Bang crosses the Qinling
The future founder of the Han burns the plank roads behind him on his way to Hanzhong, then returns over the mountains to take the Wei valley.
228–234
Zhuge Liang's northern campaigns
Shu Han armies repeatedly cross the range from Hanzhong against Wei.
1981
Crested ibis rediscovered in Yang County
Seven wild birds found on the southern slope become the basis of the species' recovery.
2007
Zhongnanshan Highway Tunnel opens
A road tunnel of about 18 km under the range shortens the journey between Xi'an and southern Shaanxi.
2021
Giant Panda National Park established
Panda habitat in the Shaanxi and Gansu Qinling becomes part of one of China's first five national parks.
Through the seasons
Spring
Blossom in the valleys from March; the northern slopes green later than the southern ones.
Summer
The mountains are a cool refuge from the heat of Xi'an; rain and thunderstorms are frequent on the southern slope.
Autumn
The finest season, with clear air and strong leaf colour in October.
Winter
Snow on the high ridges and passes; the northern foothills are dry and cold, the southern valleys milder.
Routes and ways in
Northern valleys (the 72 yu)
Dozens of short valleys cut into the northern front south of Xi'an, walked on day hikes; many have local paths to ridges and hermitages.
Taibai ascent
The classic high walk of the range, usually over two days from Tangyu.
Ancient road country around Hanzhong
The southern slope and the Han valley hold the remains of the old plank roads and the crested ibis areas of Yang County.
Practical notes
- The Qinling is a large range, not a single site; different sections are managed by different reserves and scenic areas.
- Wildlife reserves restrict access to core zones; wild pandas and takin are rarely seen without specialist guides and time.
- Weather differs sharply between the northern and southern slopes, and the high ground can be cold and foggy in any month.
- Unmarked ridge routes, notably the Aoshan–Taibai traverse, have caused many accidents.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Qinling Mountains — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Qinling — Wikipedia (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration — National Forestry and Grassland Administration (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Shaanxi Provincial People's Government — Shaanxi Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Shaanxi
- Sacred mountain · 2,155 mMount Hua华山The Western Peak: a granite massif of cliffs and Daoist halls
- Mountain · 3,771 mMount Taibai太白山The high point of the Qinling, with glacial lakes below its summit
- National parkGiant Panda National Park大熊猫国家公园One park for the panda's mountains across three provinces
- WaterfallHukou Waterfall壶口瀑布The Yellow River squeezed into a teapot spout between Shanxi and Shaanxi
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