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Mountains and Forests
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The average height of the Nyingchi area
is 3,100 meters above sea level. The mountains all run
east to west -- the north being higher than the south,
leaving a great disparity in height. The Yarlung Zangbo
River, with the highest altitude in the world, enters
the Nyingchi area in Nang after surging 1,000 km, and
is blocked directly by the Himalayas in Mainling, which
forces it northward. The river then makes a peculiar U
turn around Namjagbarwa Peak and rushes down in Medog
before joining the Indian Ocean through India. Its high
northern and low southern topographies open a gap in the
lowlands facing the Indian Ocean in the southeast, where
the warm Indian current moves upstream to meet the cold
air from the north, allowing the co-existence of tropical,
sub-tropical, temperate and frigid zones -- hence, the
peculiar landscape of snow mountains and forests.
Shallow streams enter the
Yarlung Zangbo River
Namjagbarwa Peak, the highest in the Nyingchi area and
the 15th highest in the world, is 7,780 meters above sea
level. The true features of its triangular body are obscured
by snow year round and by clouds and fog. West of Namjagbarwa
Peak is a steep cliff that reaches the bottom of the valley,
and in its northwest stand a series of peaks of more than
7,000 meters above sea level, which join one another like
sawteeth capped with thick ice-snow. Three huge valley
glaciers have evolved between Namjagbarwa Peak and Naipeng
Peak to its south and reach down to the green and immense
forest. The La'gyabelei Peak to the north of Namjagbarwa
Peak on the other side of Yarlung Zangbo River, a saddle-shaped,
double-peaked mountain of 7,234 meters, is also enveloped
by clouds and fog all year long. All these mountains and
others, such as Seche La Mountain, form the wonderful
landscape in the east part of Nyingchi area.
In addition to the mountains, the Nyingchi area also boasts
Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, the greatest canyon in the
world. While running west, the Yarlung Zangbo River cuts
across the Himalayas and thunderously rolls through Namjagbarwa
Peak and La'gyabelei Peak. The average depth of the canyon
is 5,000 meters, with the lowest point being 5,382 meters.
The canyon is 490 km long, and the section from Pai Daduka
to Bambo in Medog, 240 km long, is the most precipitous,
with a steeper lower part. With a speed as high as 16
meters per second and a volume flow of 4,425 cubic meters
per second, the river sweeps over huge stones and thunders
forward. In the valley, there are permanent ice-snow,
hot springs, streams and waterfalls. Virgin forests that
are rich in natural resources spread from the bottom of
the valley to the top of the mountain.
Peaks surrounded by
clouds
The Nyingchi area owes its unique climate and natural
environment to its peculiar topography. Different from
other places of Tibet, Nyingchi possesses rich soil and
resources because of the warm, damp climate with an annual
rainfall of 650 mm, a yearly sunlight exposure of 2,022.2
hours and a frost-free season of 180 days. Though surrounded
by snow mountains, Nyingchi is a verdant world, with the
forest coverage being 46.1 percent. As the third largest
forest zone in China, Nyingchi boasts 2.64 million hectares
of forests, or 80 percent of the total forest in Tibet.
The vast forest includes rich forest resources, forest
products, rare animals and rare plants. Nearly all kinds
of plants growing from Hainan Island to the North Pole
can be found in the Nyingchi area. Altogether, 3,500 kinds
of plants have been found and fortified there. Medog National
Animal and Plant Reserve Area, Ciba Rare Animal and Plant
Reserve Area of Zaya ,GangXiang Village Conifer Reserve
in Bome, and Bagyai Ancient Cypress Reserve Area of Nyingchi
reflect the basic features of Nyingchi's forest resources.
Nyingchi's distinct, natural landscape consists of snow
mountains that stand majestically in the sun and glisten
under the blue sky, valleys surrounded by undulating mountains,
and luxuriant forests that contain green sky-reaching
pines and cypresses; the fragrance of canola flowers at
the foot of the mountains attracts butterflies. This all
creates a perfect landscape painting on which "four
seasons coexist in one mountain and scenery differs every
10 li." Nyingchi is just like a "Green Pearl"
resting in the southeast of the Tibet Plateau. |
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