The rulers of the expansionist Qin dynasty, based in present-day Gansu and Shaanxi, were only the first strategists to realize that the area's military importance matched its commercial and agricultural significance. The Sichuan basin is surrounded by the Himalayas to the west, the Qin Mountains to the north, and mountainous areas of Yunnan to the south. Since the Yangtze flows through the basin and then through the perilous Yangzi Gorges to eastern and southern China, Sichuan was a staging area for amphibious military forces and a refuge for political refugees.[citation needed] COUNT 5
QSN1 What surrounds the Sichuan basin to the west? ANS1 the Himalayas QSN2 What mountains surround the Sichuan basin to the North? ANS2 Qin Mountains QSN3 What river flows through the Sichuan basin? ANS3 Yangtze QSN4 Where was the Qin dynasty based? ANS4 present-day Gansu and Shaanxi QSN5 What surrounds the Sichuan basin to the South? ANS5 mountainous areas of Yunnan