In the context of global climate change, plant phenology has become the subject of intensive research. Mountains are considered indicators of global climate change. The Qinling mountain region,known as a unique geographical unit in China because of its ecological sensitivity and vulnerability, underwent a significant temperature increase in the last 50 years. Based on phenological data collected from 1964-2015, 17 plant species, including trees, shrubs, and vines, were selected as the subjects of the present study. This paper analyzes and discusses changing conditions and changes in plant phenology in the context of global climate change in the Qinling Mountains. Our analyses generated four primary results. First,over the past 52 years, the beginning of the plant phenophase has advanced at a rate of 1.2 days decade~(-1),and the end of the plant phenophase has delayed at a rate of 3.5 days decade~(-1),causing a significant prolongation of the growth period. The primary reason for this prolongation is the rising temperature in the region. There was a inconsistency on the response at the beginning and the end of the phenophase to temperature. Second, the abrupt change of phenophase occurred in the 1980s in Qinling area, the start of phenophase occurred in 1985 andthe end of phenophase did in 1984. After the abrupt change occurs, plant phenological characteristics changed significantly, compared with abrupt change before, showing that the advanced rate in the start of phenophase was faster, and the trend in the end of the phenophase turned into a very significant delay; the rate of change and the significance at the end of the plant phenophase were higher than that at the beginning of the period. These changes in the beginning and end points of plant phenophases manifest as a " convergence effect". Interdecadal variations in phenology indicate that the rate of advance in the beginning of plant phenophases slowed from 2001 to 2005, and that the response of plants to climate change showed qualities of adaptability and hysteresis. These results indicate that the dominant factor leading to changes in the beginning and end points of the plant phenophase was temperature, and that the response of plant phenology to changes in temperature is particularly sensitive, further demonstrating that there is a correlation between plant phenophase and climate change. Third,changes in phenophase varied by species. The advancement of the beginning of the phenophase promoted the prevalence of shrubs, trees, and vines, in this order,at the beginning of the phenophase,whereas the delay in the ending of the phenophase decreased the abundance of trees, shrubs, and vines, in this order, at the end. These differences in abundance are related to differences in physiological characteristics between the different species in response to climate change. Finally, plant responses to climate change in the Qinling Mountains differed along a north-south axis. The rate of advance in the beginning of the phenophase was higher in the northern slope than in the southern slope,whereas the rate of delay in ending of the phenophase was more severe in the southern slope than in the northern slope.