WU-KUNG MOUNTAINS

WadeGiles romanization Wukung Shan, Pinyin Wugong Shan, mountain range, chiefly in west-central Kiangsi Province, China, forming a part of the frontier area between Kiangsi and Hunan provinces. The range is about 80 miles (130 km) long and extends northeastward from Ch'a-ling in Hunan to near I-ch'un in Kiangsi, being divided from the Chiu-ling Mountains farther north by the valley route between Chu-chou and I-ch'un. The western section is the highest part of the range, with average heights of up to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The chief peaks are Mount T'ai-ho, and Mount T'ai-yang on the provincial border. To the east, the range is lower and divides into three more or less parallel ranges, the Ch'en Mountains, the Wu-kung Mountains proper, and the Yun-hsiao Mountains. The range forms the principal watershed between the Kan River system in Kiangsi, and the Mi River and Lu River tributaries of the Hsiang River in Hunan. The area is heavily forested and produces large quantities of pine and cedar. On its northern flank are the coal mines of P'ing-hsiang; other coal deposits are worked at T'ien-ho, on the southeastern side.