TSINLINGSHAN, a range of mountains which forms the southern wall of the Wei-ho valley and extends eastwards into the plain of north China (Honan). It forms a boundary in geology, climate and human relations between the region of loess in the north and the basin of the Yangtze to the south. The Tapaling or Tapashan is a range diverging from it south-eastwards, with the valley of the Han between them. These mountains are often held to be structurally a continuation of the Kuenlun system and, like the Kuenlun, show folding of rocks up to the Upper Carboniferous age, with granites and gneiss in many places, especially in the north. The reduction in height from the great mountains of the Kuenlun system on the west to the Tsinlingshan on the east is very marked, though the latter reach 10,983 ft. and its average height is surprisingly great. The break between the Kuenlun system and these mountains is a part of the great break seen all along the east side of the Tibetan plateau. The north face is very steep, and loess reaches up to some 3,30o ft. above sea-level at places along it. The top of the range is broad, with sharp heights.
The south face has rounded heights and wild, deep-cut valleys. In spite of its size and height the range is essentially one mass, and not a complex of chains such as we find, for example, in the Alps. The Chinese were interested in and occupied the Han valley in distant antiquity, but until a way was worked out across the Tsinlingshan, these had to pass south-eastwards up the Tankiang, a long detour if the ultimate goal were Han-chung-fu, or, perhaps, Chengtu in Szechwan. The date of the first making of a road
across the range is in doubt as between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200.
an island belonging to Japan, situated about midway between Korea and the island of Iki, so that the two islands were used as places of call in former times by vessels ply ing between Japan and Korea. Tsu-shima lies about 20' N., 129' 20' E. The nearest point of the Korean coast is 48 m. dis tant. It has an area of 262 sq.m. and a population of c. 42,000. It is divided at the waist by a deep sound (Asaji-ura), and the southern section has two hills, Yatachi-yama and Shira-dake, 2,130 ft. and 1,680 ft. high respectively, while the northern sec tion has Ibeshi-yama and Mi-take, whose heights are 1,128 ft. and 1,598 ft. The chief town is Izu-hara. The Mongol armada visited the island in the 13th century and committed great depre dations. In 1861 an attempt was made by Russia to obtain a foot ing on the island. The name of the battle of Tsu-shima is given to the great naval engagement of the 27th and 28th of May 1905, in which the Russian fleet under Admiral Rozhdestvensky was defeated by the Japanese under Admiral Togo.