Mountain range in China "Kunlun" redirects here. For the mythological mountain, see Kunlun (mythology). For other uses, see Kunlun (disambiguation).

Kunlun Mountains
View of Western Kunlun Shan from the Tibet–Xinjiang highway
Highest point
Peak	Liushi Shan
Elevation	7,167 m (23,514 ft)
Geography
Country	China
Region(s)	Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet
Range coordinates	36°N 84°E / 36°N 84°E / 36; 84
Borders on	Gobi Desert

Kunlun Mountains
"Kunlun" in simplified (top) and traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	昆仑山
Traditional Chinese	崑崙山
Postal	Kwenlun Mountains
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kūnlún Shān Wade–Giles K'un1-lun2 Shan1 IPA [kʰwə́n.lwə̌n ʂán] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping kwan1 leon4 saan1 IPA [kʷʰɐn˥ lɵn˩ san˥]
Tibetan name
Tibetan	ཁུ་ནུ་རི་རྒྱུད
Transcriptions Wylie khu nu ri rgyud Tibetan Pinyin Kunu Ri'gyü
Mongolian name
Mongolian Cyrillic	Хөндлөн Уул
Transcriptions SASM/GNC Khöndlön Uul
Uyghur name
Uyghur	قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى‎
Transcriptions Latin Yëziqi Qurum Tagh Tizmisi Uyghur IPA [qʰʊˈɾʊmtʰaʁtʰɨzmɨˈsɨ]
Kyrgyz name
Kyrgyz	قۇن-لۇن تووКунь-Лунь ТооKun-Lun Too[ˌkʰʊnˈɫʊntʰɔː]

The Kunlun Mountains[a] constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi). In the broadest sense, the chain forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin. Located in Western China, the Kunlun Mountains have been known as the "Forefather of Mountains" in China.[1][2]

The exact definition of the Kunlun Mountains varies over time. Older sources used Kunlun to mean the mountain belt that runs across the center of China,[3] that is, Altyn Tagh along with the Qilian and Qin Mountains. Recent sources[4] have the Kunlun range forming most of the south side of the Tarim Basin and then continuing east, south of the Altyn Tagh. Sima Qian (Records of the Grand Historian, scroll 123) says that Emperor Wu of Han sent men to find the source of the Yellow River and gave the name Kunlun to the mountains at its source. The name seems to have originated as a semi-mythical location in the classical Chinese text Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Extent

[edit]

From the Pamirs of Tajikistan, the Kunlun Mountains run east through southern Xinjiang to Qinghai province,[5] stretching along the southern edge of the Tarim Basin containing the Taklamakan Desert, and the Gobi Desert. A number of important rivers flow from the range including the Karakash River ('Black Jade River') and the Yurungkash River ('White Jade River'), which flow through the Khotan Oasis into the Taklamakan. To the south of the Kunlun is the sparsely populated Changtang region, which forms part of the Tibetan Plateau.

Altyn-Tagh or Altun Range is one of the chief northern ranges of the Kunlun. Its northeastern extension Qilian Shan is another main northern range of the Kunlun. In the south main extension is the Min Shan. Bayan Har Mountains, a southern branch of the Kunlun Mountains, forms the watershed between the catchment basins of China's two longest rivers, the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.

The highest mountain of the Kunlun Mountains is the Kunlun Goddess Peak (7,167 m) in the Keriya area of the western Kunlun Mountains.

Some authorities[who?] claim that the Kunlun extends further northwest-wards as far as Kongur Tagh (7,649 m) and the famous Muztagh Ata (7,546 m).[citation needed]

But these mountains are physically much more closely linked to the Pamir group (ancient Mount Imeon). The Arka Tagh (Arch Mountain) is in the center of the Kunlun Mountains; its highest points are Ulugh Muztagh (6,973 m) and Bukadaban Feng (6,860 m). In the eastern Kunlun Mountains the highest peaks are Yuzhu Peak (6,224 m) and Amne Machin [also Dradullungshong] (6,282 m); the latter is the major eastern peak of the Kunlun Mountains and is thus considered as the eastern edge of the Kunlun Mountains.

The mountain range formed at the northern edges of the Cimmerian Plate during its collision, in the Late Triassic, with Siberia, which resulted in the closing of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean.

The range has very few roads and in its 3,000 km length is crossed by only two. In the west, Highway 219 traverses the range en route from Yecheng, Xinjiang to Lhatse, Tibet. Further east, Highway 109 crosses between Lhasa and Golmud.

Kunlun Volcanic Group

[edit] Main article: Kunlun Volcanic Group

Over 70 volcanic cones form the Kunlun Volcanic Group. They are not volcanic mountains, but cones. As such, they are not counted among the world volcanic mountain peaks. The group, however, musters the heights of 5,808 metres (19,055 ft) above sea level (35°30′N 80°12′E / 35.5°N 80.2°E / 35.5; 80.2). If they were considered volcanic mountains, they would constitute the highest volcano in Asia and China and second highest in the Eastern Hemisphere (after Mount Kilimanjaro) and one of Volcanic Seven Summits by elevation. (Mount Damavand is the highest volcano in Asia, not the Kunlun cones.) The last known eruption in the volcanic group was on May 27, 1951.[6]

Mythology

[edit]

Main article: Kunlun (mythology)

Legendary and mystical mountains are a long-standing aspect of Chinese civilization. Kunlun is originally the name of a mythical mountain believed to be a Taoist paradise.

Kunlun is a semi-mythical region not far from the source of the Yellow River.[7] The Kunlun Mountains entered Chinese ideology during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), and have become closely integrated into Chinese culture.[8]

In the Book of Mountains and Seas, the Kunlun Mountains are mentioned:

崑崙之丘，是實惟帝下之都，神陸吾司之。

Which means "The hill of Kunlun, which is the capital of the emperor, and the god of the land."

Gu Jiegang divides the Chinese mythology system into the Kunlun system and the Penglai system based on the eastern and western regions. He believes that the myth of Kunlun

"originates in the western plateau, and its magical and magnificent stories spread to the east, and then follow the vast and boundless sea. The combination of these natural conditions has formed the Penglai mythology system in the coastal areas of Yan, Wu, Qi, and Yue."[9]

In mythology, Kunlun Mountain is the birthplace and ancestral place of the Chinese nation. In mythology, Kunlun Mountain is the center of heaven and earth. It goes up to the sky and is the staircase to the sky. The "Kunlun Mythology" system takes Kunlun Mountain as an iconic place, and mainly focuses on the myths and stories of related characters such as the Yellow Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wang Mu). Stories such as Kuafu chasing the sun, Gonggong's anger touching Buzhou Mountain, and Chang'e flying to the moon all originate from Kunlun mythology.

Mao Dun pointed out:

"The primitive people imagined that the gods lived in a group, and they also imagined that the gods lived on the extremely high mountains, so the highest mountain in the territory became the residence of the gods in mythology. The mystical idea of this is what happened. The Chinese myth is equivalent to that of Kunlun.

According to legend, King Mu (976–922 BCE, Zhou dynasty) was the first to visit this paradise. There he supposedly found the Jade Palace of the Yellow Emperor, the mythical originator of Chinese culture, and met Hsi Wang Mu (Xi Wang Mu, the 'Spirit Mother of the West' usually called the 'Queen Mother of the West') who also had her mythical abode in these mountains. She was the object of a traditional religious cult which reached its peak in the Han dynasty.

See also

[edit]

• Sacred Mountains of China

Notes

[edit]

1. ^
   • simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān, pronounced [kʰwə́nlwə̌nʂán]
   • Standard Tibetan: ཁུ་ནུ་རི་རྒྱུད, romanized: khu nu ri rgyud
   • Mongolian: Хөндлөн Уул, romanized: Khöndlön Uul, pronounced [ˈxɵnt͡ɬəɴʊːɮ]
   • Uyghur: قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى, romanized: Qurum Tagh Tizmisi, pronounced [qʰʊˈɾʊmtʰaʁtʰɨzmɨˈsɨ]
   • Kyrgyz: قۇن-لۇن توو, romanized: Kun-Lun Too, pronounced [ˌkʰʊnˈɫʊntʰɔː]

References

[edit]

1. ^ "Kunlun Mountains". Retrieved April 1, 2024.
2. ^ "Kunlun Mountain Range – A Forever Legend" (PDF). Retrieved April 1, 2024.
3. ^ Richard, L. (1908). Comprehensive Geography of the Chinese Empire. OCLC 2281016.
4. ^ National Geographic Atlas of China, 2008
5. ^ "Kunlun Mountains". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
6. ^ "Kunlun Volcanic Group". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
7. ^ 贾海建. 神怪小说与山岳信仰关系研究 《中央民族大学》 2011 年博士论文. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
8. ^ Peng, Peng (1 October 2021). "Decentralizing the origin of civilization: Early archaeological efforts in China". History of Humanities. 6 (2): 515–548. doi:10.1086/715935. ISSN 2379-3163. S2CID 244133983.
9. ^ 许洋洋. 中国神话的地域文化透视.

Further reading

[edit]

• Munro-Hay, Stuart Aksum. Edinburgh: University Press. 1991. ISBN 0-7486-0106-6.

External links

[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kunlun Mountains.

• Kropotkin, Peter Alexeivitch; Bealby, John Thomas (1911). "Kuen-lun" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). pp. 938–941.

v t e Mountain ranges of China
Geography of China
Northwestern	Altai Mountains Dzungarian Alatau Tian Shan Borohoro Mountains Tarbagatai Mountains Kunlun Mountains Altyn-Tagh Qilian Mountains Helan Mountains Liupan Mountains
Qinghai-Tibetand Southwestern	Himalayas Transhimalaya Pamir Mountains Karakoram Argu Tagh Yengisogat Kunlun Mountains Hoh Xil Bayan Har Mountains Amne Machin Tanggula Mountains Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains Hengduan Mountains Gaoligong Mountains Yunling Mountains Ailao Mountains Qionglai Mountains Daxue Mountains Min Mountains
Northeast	Greater Khingan Lesser Khingan Changbai Mountains Wanda Mountains Qian Mountains
North and East	Yin Mountains Lang Mountains Wula mountains Lüliang Mountains Taihang Mountains Zhongtiao Mountains Mount Tai Tianmu Mountain Yandang Mountains Wuyi Mountains
Central	Qinling Daba Mountains Wudang Mountains Jingshan Mountains Dabie Mountains Luoxiao Mountains Jiuling Mountains Mufu Mountains Wugong Mountains Huangshan Wuling Mountains Xuefeng Mountains
South	Cang Mountain Daliang Mountains Dalou Mountains Nanling Mountains Jiuyi Mountains Yuecheng Mountains Longmen Mountains Western Mountains
Landforms of China

v t e Qinghai topics
Xining (capital)
General	History Politics Economy
Geography	Cities Tibetan Plateau Yellow River Yangtze River Mekong River Tanggula Mountains Kunlun Mountains Qinghai Lake Qaidam Basin Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve
Education	Qinghai University Qinghai Normal University Qinghai University for Nationalities Qinghai University Medical College
Culture	Han Chinese Tibetans
Cuisine	Liangfen
Visitor attractions	Xining Qinghai Lake
Category Commons

v t e Tibet articles
History	Overviews Timeline List of rulers European exploration Historical money Chronology Prehistory (Neolithic) Zhangzhung Yarlung dynasty Empire (7th–9th century) Timeline List of emperors Lönchen Relations with Tang (618–907) Era of Fragmentation (9th–13th century) Guge kingdom Tsongkha Relations with Song (960–1279) Yuan dynasty rule (1270–1350) Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs Phagmodrupa dynasty Relations with Ming (1368–1644) Rinpungpa dynasty Tsangpa dynasty Ganden Phodrang Kashag Khoshut Khanate Dzungar rule (1717–1720) Qing dynasty rule (1720–1912) Lifan Yuan List of Qing ambans Post-Qing to 1950 Republic of China (ROC) claim (1912–) People's Republic of China (PRC) rule PRC annexation Tibet Area (1951–1965) Tibet Autonomous Region (1965-) political leaders Wars andconflicts Tibetan attack on Songzhou Battle of Chabuheluo Battle of Dafei River Gaozong campaign of Tibet Battle of Shenchuan Mongol invasions of Tibet Battle of the Bloody Hills (1637) Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal war Battle of Dartsedo Dzungar conquest of Tibet Battle of the Salween River Chinese expedition to Tibet (1720) Jinchuan campaigns Lhasa riot of 1750 Sino-Nepalese War Dogra–Tibetan War Nepal–Tibet War (1855–1856) Sikkim expedition British expedition to Tibet Batang uprising Chinese expedition to Tibet (1910) Xinhai Lhasa turmoil Sino-Tibetan War Qinghai–Tibet War 1938–1939 German expedition to Tibet 1939 Japanese expedition to Tibet Battle of Chamdo Protests and uprisings since 1950 1959 Tibetan uprising 1987–1989 Tibetan unrest 2008 Tibetan unrest Self-immolation protests by Tibetans in China Special Frontier Force Documents Treaty of Tingmosgang (1684) 13-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet (1751) 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet (1793) Treaty of Chushul (1842) Treaty of Thapathali (1856) Convention of Calcutta (1890) Treaty of Lhasa (1904) Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet (1906) Anglo-Russian Convention (1907) Treaty of friendship and alliance with Mongolia (1913) Simla Accord (1914) Seventeen Point Agreement (1951) Sino-Indian Trade Agreement over Tibetan Border (1954) 70,000 Character Petition (1962) Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy (2008)
Geography	Flora Fauna Environment Mountains Kailash Lhotse / Changtse Namcha Barwa Tanggula Rivers Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon Rongbuk Glacier Tibetan Plateau Changtang Nature Reserve Valleys Traditional regions Amdo Kham Ü-Tsang Ngari
Politics	Tibet Autonomous Region CCP Committee People's Congress People's Government Foreign relations with India CIA Tibetan program Golden Urn Patron and priest relationship Serfdom controversy Serfs' Emancipation Day Sovereignty debate Disputes Central Tibetan Administration Emblem Flag Tibet Area, ROC Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (Disbanded)
Economy	Postage and postal history Qinghai-Tibet Highway Qinghai–Tibet railway Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network Medog Hydropower Station
Society	Education Languages Religion Bon Tibetan Buddhism Sakya Imperial Preceptor Dpon-chen Nyingma Kagyu Jonang Gelug Ganden Tripa Dalai Lama list Lhamo La-tso Panchen Lama list Catholicism Islam Human rights Chinese settlements Cultural repression Labour camps Sinicization Social classes Tibetan people Changpa Yolmo Diaspora Names Culture Art rugs thangka tsakli sand mandala wall paintings wall murals Calendar Cuisine Dzong architecture Etymology Festivals Historical and cultural sites Khata (ceremonial scarf) Literature Annals Chronicle writers Music Tibetology Traditional medicine
Outline Index Category

v t e Xinjiang topics
Ürümqi (capital)
History	Pre-Han dynasty Tocharians Western Regions Loulan Shule Yuezhi Kucha Karasahr Xiongnu Gaochang Khotan Han dynasty Protectorate of the Western Regions Chief Official of the Western Regions Kingdom of Khotan Sixteen Kingdoms Gaochang Göktürks First Western Eastern Second Tang dynasty Protectorate General to Pacify the West Four Garrisons of Anxi Beiting Protectorate Tibetan Empire Uyghur Khaganate Qocho Kara-Khanid Khanate Turkic settlement of the Tarim Basin Qara Khitai Yuan dynasty Mongol Empire * Chagatai Khanate Moghulistan Kara Del Turpan Khanate Yarkent Khanate Dzungar Khanate Dzungar conquest of Altishahr Dzungar–Qing Wars Dzungar genocide Kumul Khanate Qing dynasty Qing rule Revolt of the Altishahr Khojas Afaqi Khoja revolts Holy War of the Seven Khojas General of Ili Reconquest of Xinjiang Republic of China Xinjiang Wars First East Turkestan Republic Second East Turkestan Republic Ili Rebellion People's Republic of China PRC incorporation Xinjiang Province, People's Republic of China Yi–Ta incident Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism
Geography	"Three Mountains and Two Basins" Altai Mountains Junggar Basin Dzungaria Tian Shan Tarim Basin Taklamakan Desert Kunlun Mountains Other Landscapes Cities Gurbantünggüt Desert Kumtag Desert Turpan Depression Karakoram Mountains Pamir Mountains Transportation Hexi Corridor Lanzhou–Xinjiang railway Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway Southern Xinjiang railway Northern Xinjiang railway Jinghe–Yining–Khorgos railway Kuytun–Beitun railway Ürümqi–Dzungaria railway Hami–Lop Nur railway Kashgar–Hotan railway China Railway Ürümqi Group
EducationResearch	Xinjiang University Xinjiang Agricultural University Xinjiang Medical University Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory
Culture	Doppa Day Music Meshrep gathering Muqam Tocharian clothing
Cuisine	Dapanji Nan Sangza Samsa Youtazi Pamirdin Xurpa Tunurkawab Chinese Islamic cuisine
Economy	Silk Road China Western Development Cotton industry National Cotton and Cotton Yarn Trading Center Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Xinjiang Free-Trade Zone
Visitor attractions	Apak Khoja and Xiang Fei Tomb Emin Minaret Mosque Flaming Mountains Jiaohe ruins Gaochang Grand Bazaar, Ürümqi Id Kah Mosque Karakul Lake Kizil Caves Niya ruins
Related	Uyghur people Xinjiang conflict Migration to Xinjiang Altishahr Chinese Turkestan East Turkestan China–Afghanistan relations China–India relations China–Kazakhstan relations China–Kyrgyzstan relations China–Pakistan relations China–Tajikistan relations China–Turkey relations History of the Uyghur people
Category Commons

v t e Sacred Mountains of China
Five Great Mountains	Tai Hua Heng (Hunan) Heng (Shanxi) Song
Four Sacred Chinese Buddhist Mountains	Emei Jiuhua Putuo Wutai
Four Sacred Tibetan Buddhist Mountains	Kawagarbo Amne Machin Rinpoche (Kailash) Ghado Jobo
Four Sacred Taoist Mountains	Wudang Longhu Qiyun Qingcheng
Three Sacred Mountains	Tian Shan Changbai Kunlun
Three Famous Mountains	Huang Lushan Yandang
Five Garrison Mountains	Yi Wu Kuaiji Yiwulü Huo
Other Sacred Mountains	Lao Zhongnan Gongga Qomolangma (Everest) Three Holy Peaks of Nyidên, Dabba (Yading)

Authority control databases
International	VIAF GND
National	United States Japan Czech Republic Israel
Geographic	Pleiades
Other	Yale LUX