Tropic of cancer sign tower

Tropic of cancer is the dividing line between the north temperate zone and the tropics. It passes through the suburbs of Hualien and is a well-known local scenic spot.

Every year at noon of the summer solstice, when the sun shines vertically from above, we can see the astronomical phenomenon of "no shadow on the pole".

Tourists like to walk back and forth along the Tropic of cancer to experience the fun of crossing two monsoon climates.

Tropic of cancer sign tower

The Tropic of cancer (Tropic of cancer) sign tower is a building that marks the place where Tropic of cancer passes in geography. Tropic of cancer is the dividing line between the north temperate zone and the tropics on the earth, that is, the latitude circle of 23 ° 26 '(generally estimated as 23.5 ° n). China has now built 11 Tropic of cancer marker towers. From east to west, they are Hualian (2) and Jiayi in Taiwan, Shantou (2), Fengkai and Conghua in Guangdong, Guiping and Wuming in Guangxi, Mojiang and Xichou in Yunnan.

China has the largest number of Tropic of cancer marker towers in the world.

introduce

The earth we live on not only rotates constantly, but also rotates around the sun in an elliptical orbit, which is called revolution. The rotation of the earth produces the alternation of day and night, and the revolution of the earth forms the cycle of four seasons. When the earth revolves around the sun obliquely, the earth's axis intersects with the orbit plane of the revolution at an angle of 66.5 degrees. Therefore, in the process of the earth's revolution, the sun's light irradiates the earth's surface vertically, not in a fixed place, sometimes directly to the northern hemisphere, sometimes directly to the southern hemisphere. The sun directly in the northernmost point into an imaginary line, called Tropic of cancer. In a year, the vertical point of sunlight moves from tropic of cancer to tropic of cancer. There is only a moment of direct contact with the Tropic of cancer around noon on the summer solstice of June 22 every year. From this moment, the northern hemisphere enters summer. Therefore, only once a year can we see the astronomical phenomenon of "no shadow on the pole".

The Tropic of cancer passes through 16 countries and regions on the earth, most of which belong to desert and grassland zones, such as the Sahara desert in North Africa, the Arabian desert in the Arabian Peninsula, the Thar desert in India and Pakistan, and the Mexican desert in North America. The so-called "Tropic of cancer zone" appears. Only the areas passing through Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Taiwan Provinces in China are another scene. This area is luxuriant, lush, abundant in rainfall, rich in products, people call it the "magic return green belt".

The Tropic of cancer is an invisible imaginary line. The establishment of a sign tower enables people to see the objective entity of the Tropic of cancer intuitively and feel the existence of this latitude line. It is of great significance to the scientific research of astronomy, geography, soil, biology and climate. As a result, China has set up marker towers in places along the Tropic of cancer, such as Jiayi and Hualien in Taiwan, Shantou, Conghua and Fengkai in Guangdong, and Mojiang in Yunnan. China is the country with the largest number of Tropic of cancer marker towers in the world.

China's symbol tower

Shantou

The sign tower of Tropic of cancer in Shantou is located at the south foot of Jilong mountain, Luolian street, Jinping District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province. The tower was completed on June 20, 1986. It is connected with a monument in Chiayi, Taiwan in the East and Conghua and Fengkai towers in the West. The precise longitude and latitude of the marks are 116 ° 35 ′ 8.78 ″ E and 23 ° 26 ′ 32.49 ″ n. In November 1994, it was announced as a municipal cultural relics protection unit by Shantou Municipal People's government, and in 1995, it was designated as the city's patriotic education base. The upper part of the tower is a hollow earth model with a diameter of 5 meters. The sphere is a reinforced concrete structure. The sphere is inlaid with yellow, blue, white and other colors of glass mosaic, which makes China's territory very conspicuous. The sea and land are distinct. The center of the sphere runs through the stainless seamless steel pipe with a diameter of 40 cm and a length of 5 meters vertically, which can peep at the blue sky. The lower half of the tower is surrounded by "North" shaped reinforced concrete columns, inlaid with polished white marble. The tower base is a two-layer circular platform, 17.2m and 26m in diameter respectively. The platform is paved with granite slabs, and a black line is paved with black marble from east to west, symbolizing the Tropic of cancer. The platform fence is one meter high and the tower covers an area of more than 200 square meters. The design of the sign tower is novel and the shape is unique, which organically combines geographical science and visual image. At noon of the summer solstice, you can see no shadow on the pole. You can see the scorching sun and the strange phenomena of the sky.

In the east-west direction of the viewing platform, warm and hot plants are planted on both sides of the black slate which marks the Tropic of cancer. When we step on this slate belt, we are between the north temperate zone and the tropical zone. It seems that we can feel the rotation of the earth and have a mysterious feeling of crossing the two zones. "Observing the sun by the North mark" is a true portrayal of observing the sun by the summer solstice. Every year during the summer solstice (June 22 noon), the sun watchers are very enthusiastic, competing to see the annual spectacle of "no shadow at the end of the pole" and feel the alternation of spring and summer.

Many trees, flowers and plants were planted around the sign tower of Tropic of cancer, and climbing roads were paved. On the top of the mountain, Kuafu Pavilion and Denglin Pavilion (named after the myth of Shanhaijing) were built, and many climbing tourists' poems were engraved on the stone walls beside the road. You can see the broad water surface of Niutian ocean in the West and the ancient volcano Jilong mountain in the east by climbing Deng linting.

The names of "Kuafu Pavilion" and "Deng linting" are related to the sun. There is a touching myth in the ancient book of mountains and seas: Kuafu means a man. In ancient times, when it was dry, he wanted to conquer the sun and catch up with the sun. He was sweating and thirsty. He drank the Yellow River and Weihe River but did not quench his thirst. He wanted to drink the water from the sea. Before he arrived, he died of thirst on the road. Kuafu's discarded walking stick, inserted on the ground, becomes a dense Denglin. Denglin is Taolin. Shantou's Tropic of cancer landmark tower is located in our coastal city. The scenery of "Kuafu Pavilion" is very consistent with the myth of Kuafu chasing the sun in Shanhaijing. North mark peeping at the sun: refers to the Tropic of cancer sign tower located 5 kilometers north of Shantou University, built on the Jilong mountainside, 13.6 meters high and 30 meters wide at the bottom. A 5-meter-diameter globe is supported by a "North" shaped bracket. Every year on the summer solstice, when the sun is directly on the Tropic of cancer, you can see the round shadow of the sun reflected on the ground from the small hole in the middle of the globe. A few minutes later, it moves across the border. Since then, the sun has gradually moved south. The invisible Tropic of cancer is painted visible on the ground. You can cross the Tropic of cancer with one foot in the temperate zone and the other in the subtropical zone. There are also Kuafu Pavilion nearby for people to rest. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can see Niutian ocean in the West and the conical volcanic landform of Jilong mountain in the East. The Tropic of cancer region, located in the southeast end of Eurasian continent, has abundant rainfall due to the influence of sea breeze, forming a green tropical monsoon forest and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, which is completely opposite to the whole desert zone. The sign tower of Tropic of cancer in Shantou is the easternmost end of this special landscape, which has important significance in environmental science research. The site selection of the sign tower of the Tropic of cancer in Shantou City strictly abides by the following principles: ① the principle of learning; ② the principle of not occupying (less occupying) farmland; ③ the principle of convenient transportation; ④ the principle of echoing with other tourist attractions; ⑤ the principle of aesthetics; ⑥ other principles such as traditional habits. The architectural features of the sign tower of Tropic of cancer in Shantou are as follows: the base of the tower is of the temple of heaven style, and a huge earth model is placed on the "North" shaped tower body structure. In the center of the earth model, there is a pipe through which the direct sunlight can be easily observed during the summer solstice, which is called "peephole". The latitude position of the sign tower of the Tropic of cancer in Shantou was 23 ° 26 ′ 32.48 ″ n on January 1, 1990. At the same time, the theoretical value of the Tropic of cancer was 23 ° 26 ′ 26.13 ″ n. considering that the Tropic of cancer is a moving line, this error is normal.

Speaking of the sign tower of Tropic of cancer in Shantou, almost all local people are familiar with it. This sign tower with two "North" shaped cement pillars is located next to g206 national highway. If you drive from Shantou University, you can get there in about 10 minutes. In 1985, the sign tower of the Tropic of cancer in Shantou officially started construction. One year later, the main project was completed. In 1988, it was announced as a municipal cultural relic protection unit by Shantou Municipal People's government. In 1995, it became Shantou's patriotic education base and popular science tourist attraction. Over the years, it has attracted countless citizens and tourists at home and abroad to watch.

After many years of absence, the reporter came here again recently. Because it was a working day, there were almost no tourists around the sign tower, and occasionally only local residents came here for a walk. Lin Jie, who opened a buffet near the sign tower, told reporters that there are not many people and tourists who come to visit the sign tower at ordinary times, and many people drive here on weekends. During the visit, the reporter noticed that the supporting facilities around the sign tower of the Tropic of cancer in Shantou are simple and crude, but from time to time, it can be seen that the construction workers are repairing the surrounding public facilities. It turns out that due to the influence of road construction and other factors, the sign tower has been in the state of power and water cut for a long time, and the public toilet can not be used, which brings inconvenience to the citizens and tourists. Recently, the Municipal Bureau of culture, radio, film and television has organized construction personnel to arrive at the site to improve the public toilets, management rooms, signboards, stair handrails, water and electricity facilities of the sign tower, so as to better serve the public and tourists.

It is understood that Shantou Tropic of cancer landmark tower is 13.6 meters high and 30 meters wide at the bottom, which is composed of three parts: base, pillar and earth model. On the coming summer solstice of June 22, at noon, the sun will be directly on the Tropic of cancer for a moment. Citizens can see the sunlight passing through the small hole in the middle of the earth model and shining vertically on the ground. This is the astronomical phenomenon of "no shadow on the pole".

Chinese PinYin : Bei Hui Gui Xian Biao Zhi Ta