Āiláoshān

The Ailao Mountains form a great wooded barrier through central Yunnan, where the plateau meets the southern ranges of the Hengduan Mountains. Their ridges divide the waters of the Yuan River from those of the Amo and Babian. The eastern slopes fall steeply toward the river valleys, while the western side descends more gently from remnants of a high plateau. Changes in elevation bring different bands of vegetation, from the warm valleys to the evergreen forests of the mountain heights.