Tourism Geography and Natural Scenic Resources (旅游地理与自然景观)
What this domain tests
Locational accuracy. Questions ask which mountain belongs to which province, which lake is the largest of its type, why a landform looks as it does, and which site holds which designation.
Terrain framework
The three-step staircase: the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (average above 4,000 m), then plateaus and basins at 1,000–2,000 m, then eastern plains and hills below 500 m. Four great plateaus: Qinghai–Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Loess, Yunnan–Guizhou. Four great basins: Tarim, Junggar, Qaidam, Sichuan. Three great plains: Northeast, North China, Middle–Lower Yangtze.
Climate and water
Monsoon climate dominates; the Qinling–Huaihe line approximates the January 0 °C isotherm and the 800 mm precipitation line. The Yangtze is about 6,300 km, China's longest and the world's third longest; the Yellow River about 5,464 km. Qinghai Lake is the largest saltwater lake; Poyang Lake the largest freshwater lake. Mount Everest's 2020 announced height is 8,848.86 m.
Named mountains
- 五岳: East Taishan (Shandong, 1,532.7 m), West Huashan (Shaanxi, the steepest, 2,154.9 m), South Hengshan (Hunan), North Hengshan (Shanxi), Central Songshan (Henan).
- Four Buddhist mountains: Wutai (Manjusri), Putuo (Guanyin), Emei (Samantabhadra), Jiuhua (Ksitigarbha).
- Four Daoist mountains: Wudang, Qingcheng, Longhu, Qiyun.
Landforms and designations
Karst (Guilin, Shilin), Danxia (Mount Danxia, Longhu), yardang (Dunhuang), glaciers, wetlands. China joined the World Heritage Convention in 1985 and now holds one of the largest numbers of sites, but always cite the current list rather than memorised totals. First national parks (2021): Sanjiangyuan, Giant Panda, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard, Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Wuyishan.
Worked example
A statement says Taishan is the highest of the Five Great Mountains. False: Huashan at 2,154.9 m is the highest; Taishan's status comes from imperial ritual and cultural rank, not altitude - a useful distinction in commentary.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing South Hengshan (Hunan) with North Hengshan (Shanxi).
- Claiming the Yangtze is the world's second longest river.