TA-PIEH MOUNTAINS

WadeGiles romanization Ta-pieh Shan, Pinyin Dabie Shan, mountain range in central China. It has a roughly northwest-to-southeast axis, which forms the watershed between the upper Huai River and the Yangtze River and also marks the boundary between Hupeh province and its eastern and northern neighbours, the provinces of Honan and Anhwei. The name Ta-pieh Mountains properly belongs to the southeastern, higher section of the range bordering Anhwei, but the term is often used to include the northwestward extension, to the west of Kuang-shui in Hupeh, which is properly called the T'ung-pai Mountains. The ranges are sometimes known in Western literature as the Huai-yang Mountains. The average elevation of the western half of the range is only 1,0001,300 feet (300400 m), with a few peaks at the extreme western end of the range reaching 3,000 feet (900 m). The southeastern end of the range, the Ta-pieh Mountains proper, forms a much more complex and formidable barrier, averaging more than 3,300 feet (1,000 m) in height. Its highest peak, Mount Huo, reaches 5,820 feet (1,774 m), and several others exceed 5,000 feet (1,500 m). Three of the ridges there extend into the Huai plain and merge into the Hua-yang Ridge, which forms a watershed of low hills between the Huai River and the Yangtze. The area has a complex structure. The general fold axis of the Ta-pieh Mountains, running northwest to southeast, represents the eastward end of the great Tsinling Mountains. The secondary axes of the southeastern ridges are connected with the major structures of the area south of the Yangtze. As a result of the stresses between these various structures, the area is liable to frequent earthquakes. The Ta-pieh is still largely forested and produces great quantities of timber and bamboo. Its large stands of oak and cork oak make it China's chief cork-producing area. Large quantities of high-quality teas are also grown in the area. The main areas of agriculture are limited to valleys and small mountain basins. The main route across the Ta-pieh Mountains proper is from Ma-ch'eng in Hupeh to Huang-ch'uan in Honan in the Huai River valley. Further west the main railway and highway north from Wu-han (Han-k'ou) cross by relatively easy passes.