Beijing Topography - Case Study Example

Beijing is located near Yanshan mountain ranges and Xishan. It is to the north of north china plain. Beijing is locatedon flat land despites its closure to the plains and mountain ranges. The district is formed by plains between YongDing River and the ChaoBai River, giving it a sceneray that resembles the one for the ancient city of Mesopotamia in the Middle East. The mountains surround the city both to the southern and northern direction. The surrounding plains, mountains give Beijing a beautiful scene that draws visitors from all over the world to visit as tourist. The mountains surrounding the city play a very significant role in shielding the agricultural land from encroaching semi arid. Though the city is on a flat ground it lays on the land that is elevated several feet above the sea level and opens to the eastern and southern direction. There are eight city districts within the municipality and two rural counties (Pao-chün and Ssu-tʻien Li 14). The municipality terrain is around 35% flat and about 60% mountainous. It covers a total area of approximately 16, 800 kilometers square. The city is located 150 km from Bohai Sea from the direction of Tianjin municipality. Hebei province borders Beijing from al of its sides and at some point comes in between Beijing and Tianjin. History has it that Beijing way the boundary between the pastoral community to the north and the agricultural areas to the south, and that was the reason behind the building the Great Wall of China which was meant to guard the southerners against the nomadic invasions from the north (Pao-chün and Ssu-tʻien Li 14). A semicircular basin is formed at the mountains shielding Beijing from steppes invasion from the north and it is responsible for catching Beijing’s air pollution. The air pollutants are prevented from escaping by the humid hot air pressure from monsoons inn the south resulting to regular adverse smog problems. During winters, the smog is less severe because during this period the wind direction is moving in the opposite direction bringing with it dry air from Siberia. The citys climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and cold, windy, and dry winters. Beijing plain was once a shallow bay, commonly referred to as Gulf of Beijing. Sediments carried down by Yongding River filled the bay and other rivers in the area and it filled the bay resulting to current land surface. Beijing plain is one of the region that is prone to earthquakes in china. The July 1976 earthquake struck Tangsen, which is a region few kilometers southeast of Beijing. In Beijing is the longest man-made waterway in the world, the Grand Canal of china. It starts from HangZhou south from Beijing and ends in Beijing, and it is 1,794 kilometers in length. It was in the 5th century when Digging started and later it was extended twice and widened during the Sui period and again in the Yuan Dynasty, and this description is of great significance to the history of my home area. All the rivers around Beijing run from west to east because Chinas terrain slopes eastward with mountains and highlands in the west and hinterlands is on the shore of the pacific. Geology with history are inextricably linked and it tells me that the Grand Canal was the sole waterway for the south-north transportation and communication. I have learned also that it was during Yuan dynasty that the docks at jishuitan in Beijing were crowded by boats loaded with grain from the south being called then greater capital. Ji is an ancient name for Beijing and most likely its first name, it dates back to around 1000 BC; shui means water. The scenes currently have been replaced with railways and highways. However, it is safe to say that without the Grand Canal, there would have been no prosperity for Beijing in ancient times. I have learnt great history about my home area and how various geographical features were formed. Especially how Yonging River got its name WuDing that means capricious river due to its frequent changing of course. The change of course was because of its heave silt and turbulent torrent during the high water season. It has also given me great dynamics in history because In Beijing names and geography are related for example; there are names of places ending with word ‘hai’ meaning sea or lake. Such names include HouHai and QianHai. The word ‘hai’, can also be traced back to the time when Yuan Dynasty was started at the entry into Beijing of Kublai khan. At that time there was no sea border at Mongolian territory and Mongols were very happy to see so many lakes in Beijing and called them haizi, meaning park in Mongolian. Later Haizi was simplified to hai and people wrote the Chinese character for hai (Chinese National Geography 8). The tallest peak in Beijing is Lingshan; it has an altitude of 2,303 meters. It is just 122 km from Beijing city. The mountain is laced with very beautiful scenery having very coo weather in summer. At its peak is very beautiful grass, it is an ecologically diverse mountain with many wild flowers. In the mountain are also homes to wild animals. Lingshan is no doubt the highest peak in Beijing and is praised for its fantastic scenery and amazing landscape. There are remnants of great wall battle site, in form of brick wall and beacon tower. The topography has shaped Beijing city in an immense way. The city looks very beautiful and has become a tourist destination for visitors from across the globe. The city is on a flat land but surrounded with beautiful hills and valleys and the area looks green. The city elevation is about 50 meters above the sea level. Longevity Hill in the Summer Palace reaches an elevation of 109 metres. The plains from Beijing extend to the east as far as Shanhaiguan on the Bohai Sea and as far south as Nanjing on the Yangtze River (Chinese National Geography 9). The region is shaped such that all the rivers are flowing in one direction towards the pacific. The city also opens and closes in the opposites of its compass directions. The great wall sections of the city were built in Yanshan range, which reaches a height of 2,241 m above sea level at Haituoshan. What I enjoyed most about the area is Beijing Fenghuangling (Phoenix Mountain) Nature Park, which is in the area of the town of Sujiatuo. It is in close proximity with Tiananmen Square and summer Palace. It covers a huge area of land and has well conserved ecological environment with thick forest, clear water rare trees, and green hills. It is called the green lung of the city because it is located on the windward side of the city thus attracting rainfall that makes the area green. The water in the area is extremely good, the air is superbly cool, and fresh, the water in the area is richer in anions as compared to other waters. During the summer, its temperature is lower than the temperature of other areas in the urban area (Hobbs, Joseph and Joseph Hobbs 104). "Little Huangshan Mountain west to Beijing", is the name given to the park and it has queer rocks, grotesque peaks, mysterious springs and vast forests. The grotesque peaks are of different shapes and present are the soul-stirring Shennu Peak and the majestic Lion Hill. What make the park also quite good to spend time in is the thick forest boast of towering ancient pines as well as apple gardens. The park presents magnificent view all year round because it has flowers in three seasons. References Liu, Pao-chün, and Ssu-tʻien Li. Basin Analysis, Global Sedimentary Geology and Sedimentology: Proceedings of the 30th International Geological Congress, Beijing, China, 4-14 August 1996. Utrecht, The Netherlands: VSP, 1997. Print Hobbs, Joseph J, and Joseph J. Hobbs. World Regional Geography. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Chinese National Geography: The Geographic Magazine on China. Beijing: Chinese National Geography Press, 2009. Print. Read More