Final Report - Asian Development Bank

TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 5
Rong, Prof Kong Xian-Wu, Prof Zhong Bu-Qiu and Prof Cui You-Wei worked early or late. They
collected how many ten thousand plant specimens, and in succession published a series of papers or
monographs about plant flora and vegetation in the Qinling Mountains. Prof Liu Shen-E (1934)
published �Plant Geography Generality in North and West China�, in which phytogeography was
categorized in north and west China into 5 sections, of which the southwest borderline of Chinese
north section was aligned along the main ridge of the Qinling Mountains. He noted that the south
slope of the Qinling was like a southern plant churchyard. The southeast border was aligned along
the Funiu Mountains and Huaihe River. This viewpoint has become a fundamental concept of
phytogeography in north and west China.
Prof Huang Bin-Wei (1940, 1944) published “List of Plants of Huashan�Shensi, with Keys of Genera
and Species”, in which the detailed research was made for species, morphology, habitat and
distribution of plants in the Huashan Mountains.
In a word, early researches on phytogeography in Qinling are compared briefly, and researches on
many basic problems are in their early stages. Phytogeography has been explored in the Qinling, and
many researches on community composition, basic flora characteristics, plant species origin, and
geographic components of flora have been carried out. These researches establish a solid foundation
for later detailed research on plant flora geography in Qinling.
Since 1949, researches on botany have developed more quickly. To provide a facility for research
development, Northwest Agriculture and Biology Research School, Chinese Academy of Sciences
were re-established at the original Northwest Plant Research School in 1950. The Northwest
Agriculture, Biology and Soil Research School was rebuilt in 1953, and included a Geo-botany
Research Laboratory that began research on phytogeography. Since that time, Northwest Botany
Research School and Northwest Water and Soil Research School, Chinese Academy of Sciences reestablished
and founded the Eco-geography Research Laboratory.
Beginning in 1952 botany researchers came from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northwest
University, Lanzhou University, Northwest Normal University, Northwest Botany Research School and
Northwest Water and Soil Research School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and penetrated deep into
the Qinling region. They reviewed scientific research and carried out research, and disseminated
information on botany, flora, and vegetation in the Qinling while producing a great lot of research
results.
From the 1950s to 1970s, Qinling biological resource investigating group which compose with many
experts collected tens of thousands of plant specimens early or late providing a basis for botany
research in the Qinling, and creating conditions for development and use of resource plants in Qinling.
In this period, primary results included: “Research on Forest Vegetation on the North Slope of the
Qinling” was published by the Forestry Office, Northwest Farming and Forestry Ministry (1958); Zheng
Mian (1958) published his “Botany Survey in Shaanxi Province”; Wang Wei-Jie (1963) published
“Research on Primary Forest Communities and Ecological Characteristics on Nanwutai Region in
Qinling North Slope”; Zhang Zhen-Wan and Cui You-Wei (1963) raised “Draft of Vegetation Divisions
in Qinling Region” and Qian Guo-Xi (1964) published “Analysis on Vertical Distribution of Forest Plant
in Qinling”.
Besides the results, some special papers also were published which did not deal with phytogeography
in the Qinling region, but stimulated further research on botany, flora, and vegetation. For example,
“Viewpoint of Vegetation Division in China” was published by Nature Division Committee, Chinese
Academy of Sciences (1960); Prof Wu Zheng-Yi (1965) published “Tropic Blood Relations of botany
flora in China” which showed in-depth analyses of the origin and character of the botany of China and
become required reading for students of Chinese botany. A series of research monographs was
published in succession at one time, in which the “Handbook of Wildness and Available Plants in
Chinese Northwest” was written by Northwest Biology and Soil Research Institute, Chinese Academy
of Sciences (1954); “Geographical Researches in Hanjiang River Drainage Area” was written by
Geography Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1957); Prof Huo Xue-Yu (1960) write
“Chinese Vegetation”; “Geography Dictionary in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province” was written by
geographical Department, Shaanxi Normal University (1966); and Prof Cheng Rong (1962) write
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