Qinling–Huaihe Line


The Qinling–Huaihe Line is a reference line used by geographers to distinguish between Northern and Southern China, corresponding roughly to the 33rd parallel. Qinling refers to the Qinling Mountains, and Huaihe refers to the Huai River. Running from Qinling mountain in the west to Huai River in the east, it divides eastem China into north and south regions that differ from each other in climate, culture, lifestyle and cuisine.
Regions north of the line tend to be temperate or frigid, with snow being a regular feature in winter. Regions south of the line tend to be subtropical and tropical. The south is hotter and wetter than the north.
Historically, the North was more developed than the South. But much has changed in recent times, and half of the most developed Tier 1 cities of China are in the South. It was also in the Ming dynasty that the economy of the South outpaced that of the North.
Nowadays, most people acknowledge that divisions within Chinese society do not fall neatly into "north and south" divisions, because of the significant overlap in many regions of China.

History and use

The Qinling Huaihe line was first drawn by Chinese geographer Zhang Xiangwen in 1908, defining north China as anything above a line running along the Qinling Mountains in the west and the Huai River the east.
In the 1950s, Premier Zhou Enlai used the line to create a subsidized district heating system only in the colder north, a system still in effect today. This has also led to the north to suffer from heavy air pollution due to coal heating plants, but the south to suffer from lack of heating during the winter months.
The line also represents the 800mm annual precipitation line of China.