On the map, the Qinling-Huaihe line and the Great Wall are outlined with lines, and the direction is quite similar. Comparing the two also shows the position of the Huaihe River line in the Qinling Mountains in the natural geographical boundary.
As an important geographical concept in Chinese geography, the expression "Qinling-Huaihe Line" first appeared in the famous geographer Zhang Xiangwen's "New Writings of Geography" in 1908.
The text proposes, "The Northern Belt: The Southern Boundary of Beiling Huaishui and the North to the Yinshan Great Wall", thus depicting the scope of the North. The so-called "southern boundary" is the guide to the northern dividing line.
Seventeen years later, he said in the Geography of Buddhism, "Only Huai Shui originated in the foothills of the North Ridge. Shi follows the north ridge and is the boundary between the north and the south", and more clearly proposed that the Huai River is the boundary between the north and the south.
In 2008, Zheng Du, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and others, after a detailed comparative analysis of the climate and vegetation in the north and south of the Qinling Mountains, believed that the dividing line between China's warm temperate zone and subtropical zone in the Qinling Mountains should be marked on the main ridge line of the Qinling Mountains.
In other words, as the natural dividing line between the north and the south of the continent, the Qinling-Huai River is actually the first and foremost climatic dividing line.
In the western section of the boundary, the Qinling Mountains are like a huge barrier, blocking the exchange of air flow from north to south, forming a completely different landscape on the north and south sides of the mountain.
The eastern section of the boundary line, the Huai River on the north side of the Huaiyang low hills, is roughly equivalent in latitude to the Qinling Mountains, although the river span is not large, but huainan huaibei also presents different scenery.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the thesis of the Qi state doctor Yan Bao, "Oranges born in Huainan are oranges, and those born in Huaibei are oranges", which is the ancients' understanding of this difference.
▲ China's geographical north-south dividing line is marked, and the red and blue represent the north and south
With the improvement of people's understanding and research ability, the qinling huaihe line has more official identities-
From a climatic point of view, it roughly passes through the isothermal line of 0 °C in January, which is the dividing line between the warm temperate zone in the north and the subtropical zone in the south, and the dividing line between the subtropical monsoon climate and the temperate monsoon climate.
The HuaiHe River in Qinling Mountains also basically coincides with the precipitation line of 800 mm, which is the dividing line between the humid climate in the south and the arid and semi-humid climate in the north.
▲The main peak of Qinling Mountains is Taibai Mountain
In the heating season every winter, there is always a heated discussion about whether the south is heated, and the dividing line of central heating is also the line of the Huai River in Qinling.
From the perspective of the river, the Qinling-Huai River is not only the watershed of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River Basin, but also the most intuitive basis for judging whether the river freezes in winter.
For the planting industry, the Qinling-Huai River is also the dividing line between dryland agriculture in the north and paddy field agriculture in the south.
To the north, the main crops are wheat, corn, cotton and peanuts, while in the south, rice, wheat, cotton and rapeseed are commonly grown.
A "line" is divided into north and south, from the salty and sweet preferences of tofu brain and rice dumplings, to the soft or bold personality differences of people in the north and south, all of which are subtly affected by it.
When it comes to the difference between the north and the south, it is naturally impossible to avoid the Qinling Huaihe Line.