Distribution of the five major plains of Zhejiang
--Hangjiahu Plain, Ningshao Plain, Wenhuang Plain, Wenrui Plain, Aojiang Plain
Text: Bright People 2019-10-29
The geographical features of Zhejiang Province are very rich, from the impact plains with dense water networks in northern Zhejiang, to the coastal hills in eastern Zhejiang, to the mountainous areas in southern Zhejiang, and the island landforms of Zhoushan City, which can be described as mountains, rivers, lakes and seas. The terrain of Zhejiang slopes in a stepped shape from southwest to northeast. The hilly and mountainous area accounts for about 70.4% of the province's land area, the plains account for only 23.2%, and the rivers and lakes account for 6.4%. Therefore, there is a saying of "seven mountains, one water and two fields".
The main mountain range runs in a north-east-south-west direction, and intersects obliquely with the coast, divided into three branches: south, middle and north. The southern branch stretches northeast from the Donggong Mountains on the border of Zhejiang and Fujian to the Yandang Mountains, and crosses the Ou River called the Kuocang Mountains. Located in the southwest, the Central Branch stretches from Fujian to the Xianxialing Mountains in Zhejiang, which is the watershed of the upper reaches of the Qiantang and Ou rivers, extending northeast into the Tiantai Mountains, the Huiji Mountains, and the Siming Mountains, and then sinking into the sea into the Zhoushan Islands. The northern branch stretches from the Huaiyu Mountains in Jiangxi, Anhui and Zhejiang to the northwest of Zhejiang to become the Tianmu Mountains, and extends northeast to become the MoganShan Mountains. The Tianmu Mountains are the watershed of the Yangtze River system and the Qiantang River system.
In the southwest of Zhejiang Province, most of the mountains above 1,000 meters are entangled, of which Huangmaojian is located in Longquan City, with an altitude of 1929 meters, which is the highest peak in the province. The coastline is tortuous, and the coastal islands are dotted with dots, with the Zhoushan Islands and Shengsi Islands as the largest. The area of the plain accounts for 23.2% of the total area of the province, and there are five main plains. The Hangjia Lake Plain and the Ningshao Plain are the most important. These two plains are located in the Yangtze River Delta region. The rest are distributed along the southeast coast, including the Wenhuang Plain (Wenling, Huangyan), the Wenrui Plain (Wenzhou, Ruian) and the Aojiang Plain (Pingyang, Cangnan and Longgang). The basins mainly include Jinqu Basin, Shengxin Basin, Tiantai Basin and Songgu Basin. Among them, the distribution of the plains is described as follows:
1. Hangjia Lake Plain
Located in the northern part of Zhejiang Province, China, hangjiahu plain is the largest plain in Zhejiang, located south of Taihu Lake, north of the Qiantang River and Hangzhou Bay, and east of Tianmu Mountain. It includes all of Jiaxing City, most of Huzhou City and the northeast of Hangzhou City. The terrain is extremely low and flat, the river network is dense, and it is crossed by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. With an area of about 7620 square kilometers, it geographically belongs to the Yangtze River Delta, with a low and flat terrain and an average altitude of about 3 meters.
The ground of the Hangjia Lake Plain forms a shallow saucer-shaped depression centered on Taihu Lake, which rises from the east and south and descends to the west and north. The water network on the plain is dense, and the density of the river network averages 12.7 km/km2, which is the highest in China. The sediments of the plain surface are mainly fine sediment (fine silt sand, clay), which belong to the accumulation of rivers and lakes, and the southern edge of the plain belongs to the sediment of the tidal flats, the soil is coarse and loose, the ground lacks lakes, the water system is thin, and the terrain is relatively high-pitched. This difference in ground elevation, sedimentary material and hydrological conditions in the plains has a profound impact on agricultural production, water conservancy facilities and engineering construction. The plain has developed water and land transportation, the railway starts from Hangzhou, the Shanghai-Hangzhou and Hangzhou-Xuan lines run through the east and west of the plains respectively, and are connected with the Zhejiang-Gansu, Anhui-Gansu- and Xiao-Yong lines; the highway links The three cities of Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou, and extends to the mountainous areas and the seashore; water transportation has an important position. The total length of the voyage is more than 3,000 kilometers, and it communicates more than 500 market towns in the plain.
The Hangjiahu Plain is the base of China's commodity grain and has been the main source of grain for the Chinese royal family and army since the Six Dynasties. Hangjia Lake Plain is also the origin of Famous Tea such as Hangzhou Longjing, which is also famous for silk production and processing, Hangzhou, Huzhou (especially Nanxun, Shuanglin, Linghu and other towns) are famous raw silk production areas and silk processing sites, Taihu Lake is rich in aquatic products. In modern times, the industry here has developed rapidly. Now it has become a perfect industrial system, with a large number of state-owned, private and foreign-funded enterprises and strong strength.
2. Ningshao Plain
Ningshao Plain. It is the second largest plain in Zhejiang Province. Located in the northeast of Huaijiang Province, it is a narrow coastal plain running east-west. The plain stretches from the Qiantang River in the west to the East China Sea in the east, the Siming Mountains and Huiji Mountains in the south, and the Hangzhou Bay in the north. The section protrudes northward into Hangzhou Bay, with an east-west length of about 150 kilometers and a north-south width of 20-40 kilometers. It has an area of about 4,824 square kilometers. It is named after the two cities of Ningbo and Shaoxing in the east and west of the plain.
The Ningshao Plain is formed by the alluvial formation of the Qiantang River, Puyang River, Cao'e River and YongJiang River, and has its own pattern in geographical form. Major cities include Ningbo, Shaoxing and Xiaoshan District. The Ningshao Plain is one of the important grain, cotton, hemp and freshwater fish producing areas in Zhejiang Province. In the northern coastal sand embankment area, it is formed by the accumulation of sediment carried by the current. The western section of the Nansha Plain was gradually stabilized until the 18th century; the eastern section of the Sanbei Plain was slightly earlier, and the present-day Linshan, Simen, Zhouxiang, Hushan, Minghechang, and Crab Pond were the former sites of the Dagutang built in the seventh year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1047), and its northern new ponds were expanded year by year, with as many as 12 in the Linshan area, and the outermost sea pond was 23 kilometers away from the Dagutang, with an average annual increase of 35 to 40 meters. The side of the Sand Causeway Area belongs to the Lagoon-Limnology Plain, the ground elevation is slightly lower than that of the Sand Causeway Area (about 5 to 7 meters), the water network is dense, and the rivers and lakes around Xiaoshan and Shaoxing are connected, known as "water town".
The Ningshao Plain belongs to the northern subtropical humid climate zone, with a large population and a long history of development, and is an important agricultural area in Huaijiang Province, with fine farmland cultivation. Crops include rice, wheat, rapeseed, cotton, etc., and produce silkworm cocoons and tea leaves. Freshwater fish farming is more developed. Industries include textiles, silk weaving, food, machinery manufacturing and other departments.
3. Warm Yellow Plain
Wenhuang Plain is located in Taizhou City in the east of Zhejiang Province, and the plains of Taizhou City mainly include the estuarine plain formed by the alluvial accumulation of the Jiaojiang River and the coastal plain formed by the sea, in fact, it can also be called the Taizhou Plain or the Jiaojiang Plain, with a total area of 2861 square kilometers. It is the third largest plain in Zhejiang Province. The Haiji (binhai) Plain is mainly distributed in the southeast and east coasts of the city, with the Wenhuang and Jiaobei Plains in the north and south of the Jiaojiang estuary being the most extensive. North of the mouth of the Jiaojiang River, from Zhang'an and Duqiao to Shangpan and Dongyang, it is a crescent-shaped area, called Jiaobei in the original. South of the Jiaojiang River to the Songmen area, it is the largest Wenhuang Plain in the southeast coast of Zhejiang.
Warm Yellow Plain. Named after Huangyan and Wenling. The south bank of the main stream of jiaojiang river, east of Nanxi River, north of Yueqing Bay, east and southeast of the East China Sea, with a total area of 2,361 square kilometers, the existing arable land is 1,014,000 mu (including 870,000 mu of paddy fields), citrus and other economic gardens are 355,300 mu, with a total population of 2,504,000 people, belonging to the five cities (districts) of Wenling, Huangyan, Luqiao, Jiaojiang and Linhai in Taizhou City, which are important production bases for commodity grain and citrus in Zhejiang Province. There are two major river systems, the Yongning River (basin area of 889.8 square kilometers) and the Jinqing River (basin area of 1172.6 square kilometers).
Jiaobei Plain is located north of the mouth of the Jiaojiang River, from Zhang'an and Duqiao to Shangpan and Dongyang, forming a crescent-shaped area, composed of Jiaobei and Taozhu Plain, collectively known as Jiaobei Plain. Jiaobei and Taozhu Plain are located in the east of Linhai, north of Jiaojiang River and Taizhou Bay, south of Poba Port in Sanmen County, west of Tongzhi Mountain in Linhai City, and east of the East China Sea, with an area of 500 square kilometers. The two plains are separated by small mountains, with rivers connecting each other and sluice gates separating each other. Among them, jiaobei plain is in the south, with an area of 292 square kilometers; Jiaozhu plain is in the north, with an area of 208 square kilometers. The ground elevation of Taozhu Plain is 0.5% lower than that of Jiaobei Plain. 6-0.8 meters, all are Niutoushan Reservoir irrigation area.
Fourth, Wenrui Plain
Wenrui Plain, located in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, is a general term for the coastal plain formed by the alluvial of the Ou River and the Feiyun River in the eight major river systems in Zhejiang. It is named after the cities of Wenzhou and Ruian. It mainly includes the lower plain of the Oujiang River and the lower plain of the Feiyun River, in fact, it can also be called "Oufei Plain". The total area is about 1020 square kilometers. It is the fourth largest plain in Zhejiang Province. Mr. Jiang Zhuqing, a scholar of Wenzhou, has a special academic work "Wenzhou Geography" that discusses the Oufei Plain. The most important river in the plain is the Wenruitang River. Wenrui Plain is a densely populated and industrial area in Zhejiang Province, and is the core area of Wenzhou's population settlement and economic development.
1. The plains of the lower reaches of the Ou River. Named after the Ou River. From The Yudu Village of Oujiang Bridge in the west, to the seashore in the east, from the southern foothills of Yueqing Baishi Mountain in the north to the Qiuzhai Village on the longwan coast in the south, the total area of the plain is about 473 square kilometers. The lower Oujiang Plain consists of 8 sub-first-class plains, namely the Sanxi Plain, the Wutian Plain, the Pu-shaped Plain, the Yangshuang Plain, the Oubei Plain, the Liushi Plain, the Yongqiang Plain, and the Qidu-Lingkun Alluvial Island Plain.
1. Sanxi Plain, also known as Shanghe Township Plain, is 12 kilometers long from east to west, 8 kilometers wide from north to south, and has a total area of about 47 square kilometers. 2. Wutian Plain. Also known as the Xiahe Township Plain, it is 9 kilometers long from east to west and 8 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 59 square kilometers. 3. The plain on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Oujiang River is also called the Old City and the Puzhou Zhuangyuan Plain. It is 16.2 km long from east to west and 4.9 km wide from north to south, with a total area of about 52 square kilometers. 4. Yangyi-Shuangyu Plain, referred to as Yangshuang Plain, is 10 kilometers long from east to west, 2.7 kilometers wide from north to south, and has a total area of about 22 square kilometers. 5. Oubei Plain. Also known as Jiangbei Plain, it is located in Yongjia on the north bank of the lower reaches of the Ou River. It is 9 km long from east to west and 4.7 km wide from north to south, with a total area of about 23 square kilometers.
6. Liushi Plain. It is located in the south of Yueqing on the north bank of the lower reaches of the Ou River. East of Yueqing Bay, west of the Mingshan-Yan'an Mountain, north of Baishi Reservoir, south to the north bank of the Oujiang Estuary, the plain is 16 kilometers long from east to west, 15 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 113 square kilometers. It is the largest plain in the lower Oujiang Plain. 7. Yongqiang Plain. Located on the south bank of the Oujiang estuary, the plain is 17 kilometers long from east to west and 13 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 106 square kilometers. 8. Qidu - Lingkun Alluvial Island Plain. The total area is 50.54 square kilometers. Among them, Qidu Island covers an area of 24 square kilometers. Lingkun Island covers an area of 26.54 square kilometers.
2. The plains of the lower reaches of the Feiyun River. Named after the Feiyun River. Also known as Ryan (Ping) Plain. From Mayu Shang'an Village in the west, to the seaside in the east, from Ouhai Yongrui Bridge in the north to the Xiwan Seaside Village in Pingyang in the south, it is 29 kilometers long from east to west and 26 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 545 square kilometers. The largest plain in Wenzhou, the plain consists of 6 sub-first-class plains, namely the Xincheng Plain, the Wanquan Plain, the Xianxia Plain, the Taoshan Plain, the Mayu Plain, and the Xianyan-Tangxia Plain.
1. Xincheng Plain. The plain is 16 km long from east to west and 14.4 km wide from north to south, with a total area of about 143 square kilometers. 2. Wanquan Plain. Located on the south bank of the Feiyun River, taking off from the Yunjiang Bridge in the north, to the West Bay Seashore in the south, from the Kunyang Water Pavilion in the west to the Ruian Seashore in the east, the plain is 18 kilometers long from east to west, 15 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 224 square kilometers. Among them, Pingyang accounted for 67.4%, reaching 151 square kilometers, and Ruian accounted for 32.6%, totaling 73 square kilometers. 3. Xian descending plains. It is 10.3 km long from east to west and 9.5 km wide from north to south, with an area of about 42 square kilometers. 4. Taoshan Plain. It is 15 kilometers long from east to west and 12 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 39 square kilometers. 5. The Mayu Plain is 12 kilometers long from east to west and 10 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of about 37 square kilometers. 6. Xianyan - Tangxia Plain. The total area is about 59 square kilometers.
5. Aojiang Plain
In the past introduction of the geography of Zhejiang Province, the Aojiang Plain is summarized in the Wenzhou Plain, but the plain should be contiguous, and there should be no mountain range in the middle. There is a clear watershed between the Aojiang and Feiyun Rivers, that is, the Jiuhuang Mountain and the Dongmen Mountains in Pingyang, with a clear north-south boundary, and anyone who understands geographical knowledge can distinguish it. Therefore, it can be considered that the Aojiang Plain is an independent plain, named after the Aojiang River, one of the eight major river systems in Zhejiang Province.
The Aojiang Plain is mainly located in the territory of the three counties and cities of Cangnan and Pingyang and Longgang, mainly consisting of the Beigang Plain of Pingyang County, which is 183 square kilometers (including the Beigang and Xiaonan Plains), the Nangang Plain of Cangnan County (including the Nangang and Jiangnan Plains (including the small part of Cangnan County, most of Longgang City)), and four small plains, with a total area of about 520 square kilometers (the plain area recorded in the Wenzhou Annals is 480 square kilometers, and the reclamation area of the Jiangnan Haitu is now more than 40 square kilometers). It is the fifth largest plain for Zhejiang Province.
1. Beigang Plain: This is the general term for the part of the plain located in Pingyang after the sub-county, and it is divided into the Xiaonan Plain and the Beigang Plain. Along the middle and lower reaches of the AoJiang River in Pingyang County. Including the Xiaonan (formerly known as "Xiaonan") Plain of the Aojiang River and the Plains of Xiaojiang, Mabu and Shuitou (Beigang), the total land area of the plain is 183 square kilometers (according to the Wenzhou Annals).
2. Nangang Plain: After dividing the county, the general name for the part of the plain located in Cangnan is divided into Jiangnan Plain and Nangang Plain. Located on the south bank of the Aojiang River, in the northeast of Cangnan County, the total area of the plain is 297 square kilometers (according to the Wenzhou Annals). Among them, Longgang, Yishan, Qianku and Jinxiang are all Jiangnan Plains, formerly known as "Jiangnan Yuan" (most of them now belong to Longgang City), which is the largest single area of the Aojiang Plain. Lingxi, Bridge Pier, Zaoxi, Xiaojiang, Houlin, Xiaqiao, Hushan, etc. are the Nangang Plain, formerly known as "Jiangxi Yuan".
The largest single plain in Wenzhou: JiangnanYuan Plain
(Note: The content of Wenrui Plain in this article is mainly excerpted from Mr. Jiang Zhuqing's book "Wenzhou Geography", special thanks!) ）