![G55 through the Zhongtiao Mountains 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/G55_through_the_Zhongtiao_Mountains_2.JPG)
The Zhongtiao Mountains () are a major mountain range located in the south of China’s
Shanxi Province.
Running from north east to south west the range connects with the
Taihang Mountains
The Taihang Mountains () are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. The range extends over from north to south and has an average elevation of . The principal peak is ...
to the east, overlooks the
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...
to the south and faces the
Fen River
The Fen River drains the center of Shanxi Province, China. It originates in the Guancen Mountains of Ningwu County in northeast Shanxi, flows southeast into the basin of Taiyuan, and then south through the central valley of Shanxi before turni ...
valley to the north west. To the west the mountains are separated from the Yellow River by the
Qin Mountains
The Qinling () or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan ("Southern Mountains"), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow ...
.
The range extends for approximately with the highest peak rising to above sea level.
During the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
(1937–1945) the Japanese army advanced west into Shaanxi and encircled this area many times in what was known as the
Zhongtiao Mountains Campaign.
The Zhongtiao Mountains were one of the birth places of
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
in Northern China and an important religious site. In ancient times the area was also a major center for copper mining and is today one of the operational bases of Zhongtiaoshan Non-ferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd, one of China’s largest metal processing companies.
References
Mountain ranges of China
Mountain ranges of Shanxi
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