Quick Facts
- Chinese (Pinyin):
- Qilian Shan, or
- (Wade-Giles romanization):
- Ch’i-lien Shan
- Also called:
- Nan Shan
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Qilian Mountains
Hui settlement in the Qilian Mountains, Qinghai province, China.
Qilian Mountains
mountains, China
Also known as: Ch’i-lien Shan, Qilian Shan
Qilian Mountains, rugged mountain range on the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces, west-central China. Glaciers cover an area of about 760 square miles (1,970 square km) and contain some 23 cubic miles (95 cubic km) of ice. This vast ice reservoir is the most important water source for agricultural, industrial, and public use in the Hexi (Gansu) corridor to the north and the Qaidam Basin to the south. The mountains rise to 19,000 feet (5,800 metres), and most peaks exceed 13,000 feet (4,000 metres). Snow covers the mountain tops, livestock herds graze in the well-watered valleys. Impassable throughout, the range forms the southern border of the Hexi corridor, the historic route from eastern China to Central Asia.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.