Sichuan Basin

Coordinates: 30°30′N 105°30′E / 30.500°N 105.500°E / 30.500; 105.500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sichuan Basin
Red Basin
Southwest China
Coordinates30°30′N 105°30′E / 30.500°N 105.500°E / 30.500; 105.500 

The Sichuan Basin (

direct-administered municipality of Chongqing in the east. Due to its relative flatness and fertile soils, it is able to support a population of more than 100 million. In addition to being a dominant geographical feature of the region, the Sichuan Basin also constitutes a cultural sphere that is distinguished by its own unique customs, cuisine and dialects. It is famous for its rice cultivation and is often considered the breadbasket of China. In the 21st century its industrial base is expanding with growth in the high-tech, aerospace, and petroleum industries
.

Geography

Yangtze River flowing from Chongqing (bottom left) through the ridge-like detachment folds of the eastern Sichuan Basin (left) and the Three Gorges
(top right)
Haze forming within the Sichuan Basin, with the Daxue Mountains to the west

The Sichuan Basin is an expansive 229,500 km2 (88,600 sq mi) lowland region in China that is surrounded by upland regions and mountains.

Municipality.[citation needed
]

The westernmost section of the Sichuan Basin is the Chengdu Plain, occupied by Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan. The Chengdu Plain is largely alluvial, formed by the Min River and other rivers fanning out when entering the basin from the northwest. This flat region is separated from the rest of the basin by the Longquan Mountains. The central portions of the Sichuan Basin are generally rolling, covered by low hills, eroded remnants of the uplifted Sichuan Basin floor. In some parts of the extreme northern Basin and in Weiyuan County in the southwest, there are ancient dome-shaped low mountains in their own right.[2] The Jialing River enters from the north and flows across the entire width of the Sichuan Basin to meet the Yangtze at Chongqing. Northeast of Chongqing, the Yangtze cuts an outlet through the mountains at the eastern edge of the basin known as the Three Gorges. Other significant rivers almost wholly within the Sichuan Basin include the Tuo River, the Fu River, and the Qu River.[3]

Climate

Due to the surrounding mountains, the Sichuan Basin often experiences

temperature inversion caused by the basin's convective layer being capped by a layer of air moving east across the Tibet Plateau.[1]

A moist, often overcast, four-season climate dominates the basin, with cool to mild

humid subtropical under Koppen classification.[citation needed
] The entirety of the Sichuan Basin is drained by the
Dadu River enters from the west and joins the Min at Leshan
.

Geology

The Sichuan Basin forms the rigid northwest edge of the

2008 Sichuan Earthquake. The basin's rigidity withstands much of the Tibetan Plateau's eastern movement, but dramatic folds have formed within the Yangtze Plate along the Sichuan Basin's eastern edges. Here, ancient faults interact with the Daba Mountains, themselves a result of pressure between the Yangtze and Eurasian Plates in a perpendicular direction.[6]

Until 6 million years ago, a large lake filled the Sichuan Basin.[4] The basin's soils today are largely exposed red sandstone,[1] leading to the "Red Basin" nickname for the region. The Sichuan Basin's well preserved Jurassic layers have proven valuable to paleontology, such of those of the Shaximiao Formation, near Zigong, which preserves abundant remains of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.[7]

Biodiversity

Evergreen broadleaf forests on Mount Emei

Originally, the Sichuan Basin was covered by the Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests. With human settlement, agriculture has taken root across most of the fertile basin and reduced the original forest to small patches on hills and mountains including

Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests to northwest and the Daba Mountains evergreen forests to the northeast and east.[9][10]

Previously only known in fossils and thought to be extinct, the

Lichuan County, on the eastern mountain fringe of the Sichuan Basin.[11] The Dawn Redwood is distinctive because it is a deciduous conifer.[citation needed
]

Human development

History

Warring States Period
The 2000-year-old Dujiangyan irrigation project
Main article: Sichuan § History

Relative to the areas surrounding the upper

Shu State that was independent from the Zhou until it was strategically conquered by the Qin in 316 BCE during the Warring States period.[13] The Sichuan Basin was integrated into Imperial China under Qin dynasty for whom it was an important agricultural resource.[12]

During the period of the

Republic of China's capital.[13]

Demographics and economy

Owing to its vast fertile plains, the Sichuan Basin has long supported a high concentration of human population.

Mao's Great Leap Forward. In more recent times, the Sichuan Basin and the corridor between Chengdu and Chongqing have become developed as an economic centre known as the Chengyu Area. This area is mostly coterminous with the basin; it is part of a branding scheme by the Chinese government to attract investment to the area. Chemical, textile, electronic, aerospace, and food industries have all been developed as part of the Chengyu Area.[3] Another emerging industry in the basin is the petroleum industry, currently exploring and extracting from oil reserves locked under the eastern parts of the basin.[17]

The densely populated Sichuan Basin (centre) stands out relative to the more sparsely populated surrounding mountainous regions

While population growth stagnated during the Great Leap Forward, it has since recovered. Today, the basin has a population of approximately 100 million.

Wanzhou are now considered districts within Chongqing, but maintain their status as separate urban centres along the Yangtze.[18]

Culture

Sichuanese cuisine

Some unique elements of Sichuanese culture remain in the Basin.

Sichuanese cuisine today is renowned for its unique flavours and levels of spiciness.[16] The Sichuanese branch of Mandarin Chinese is barely mutually intelligible with Standard Mandarin and originated in the Sichuan Basin. Today, Sichuanese is spoken throughout eastern Sichuan province, Chongqing, southern Shaanxi, and western Hubei
.

Transportation

Wu Mountains
and into the Sichuan Basin

While transportation across the Sichuan Basin has been facilitated by relative flatness, access to and from the basin has long been a challenge.

Shu Roads were an engineering feat for their time.[20] Most famously, the semi-legendary Stone Cattle Road is said to have been utilized by the Qin to first conquer the Sichuan Basin in 316 BC.[13]

Transportation to the west from Sichuan has proven to be an even greater challenge, with steep mountains and deep valleys hindering movement. Nevertheless, the Sichuan Basin has played a role as a stopover on the

Derge Kingdom to the west.[21] The Long March passed to the west of Sichuan Basin in 1935 with great difficulty.[13]

In the 20th century, the Sichuan Basin was connected to the rest of China by railways. The

Chengdu-Xi'an lines.[24][25]

Highway construction within Sichuan Basin intensified in the 21st century.

G93.[26] All expressways that connect the Sichuan Basin with other parts of China have been designed to utilize a series of tunnels and bridges to cross the mountainous surrounding terrain. Notable examples include the 18 km (11 mi) long Zhongnanshan Tunnel through the Qin Mountains to the north and the 500 m (1,600 ft) high Sidu River Bridge through the Wu Mountains to the east.[citation needed
]

Maps gallery

  • Map of the Yangtze River drainage basin with the Sichuan Basin in the centre
    Map of the Yangtze River drainage basin with the Sichuan Basin in the centre
  • Map showing the second Shu State in the Sichuan Basin during the Three Kingdoms period
    Map showing the second Shu State in the Sichuan Basin during the
    Three Kingdoms period
  • Sichuanese dialects are spoken in the Sichuan Basin and surrounding areas
    Sichuanese dialects are spoken in the Sichuan Basin and surrounding areas
  • The 4th century BC Shu Roads connected Sichuan Basin with the Yellow River valley (Shaanxi)
    The 4th century BC Shu Roads connected Sichuan Basin with the Yellow River valley (Shaanxi)
  • Sichuan Basin in relation to Southeast Asia and the eastern part of South Asia, with the Tea Horse Road routes highlighted in red
    Sichuan Basin in relation to Southeast Asia and the eastern part of South Asia, with the Tea Horse Road routes highlighted in red

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sichuan Basin". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  2. ISBN 9787503141782
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  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0028971841
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  4. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.01.046
    .
  5. ^ "Sichuan Basin". GES DISC. NASA. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  6. ^ Li, K; Liu, J.; Yang, C.; Hu, F. (2011). "Dinosaur assemblages from the Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation and Chuanjie Formation in the Sichuan-Yunnan Basin, China". Volumina Jurassica. 9 (9): 21–42.
  7. ^ "Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  8. ^ "Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  9. ^ "Daba Mountains evergreen forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  10. JSTOR 3647458
    .
  11. ^
    ISBN 9780007221783
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 9780521124331
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0804754965
    .
  14. OCLC 9806746
    .
  15. ^
    ISBN 9781741041859
    .
  16. ^ Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #7024946}}
  17. ISBN 9787547109151
    .
  18. ^ Johnston, Brian (2006). Boxing with Shadows: Travels in China. Melbourne University Publishing. p. 140.
  19. ISBN 9780595425518
    .
  20. ISBN 978-0226732442
    .
  21. ^ "新中国档案：成渝铁路--新中国的第一条铁路". CCTV. Xinhua News Agency. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  22. ^ (Chinese) "第八期 宝成铁路" 中国制造之科技" Accessed 2017-10-06
  23. ^ Qiao, Han; Xi, Fan (16 August 2017). "Chinese high-speed rail expansion on the fast track". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  24. ^ "China to build Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway". China Daily. Xinhua. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  25. ISBN 9787114060656
    .
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