Section C　Geography of China

Located in the east on the Asian continent on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1. 35 billion. Covering approximately 9. 6 million km2, China is the world's second largest country by land area, and the third largest country in total area behind Russia and Canada, and very similar to the U. S..

1. Physical Geography

China has been officially and conveniently divided into 5 homogeneous physical macro-regions: namely Eastern China (subdivided into the northeast plain, north plain, and southern hills), the Xinqiang-Mongolian uplands, and the Tibetan highlands.

Eastern China

Northeast Plain

Northeast plain is also called Manchurian Plain or Sungliao Plain, heart of the central lowland of northeastern China. It has a surface area of about 135,000 square miles (350,000 km2), all of which lies below 1,000 feet (300 m) above the sea level. The plain, largely the product of erosion from the surrounding highlands, is mostly undulating, with fertile black soils. It is bordered on the west by the Da Hinggan Range, on the north by the Xiao Hinggan Range, and on the east by the Changbai ranges, but on the south it is open to the Gulf of Liaodong. It is drained by the Sungari River[3] and its tributary, the Nen River, in the north and by the Liao River in the south. It connects via a narrow strip of coastal plain with the great alluvial North China Plain to the southwest.

The Northeast Plain is China's major soybean-growing area, and it also produces corn (maize), rice, wheat, sorghum, sugar beets, and flax. After 1949, large state farms were established and land reclamation projects begun. It is also an important base of heavy industry with an extensive system of railways, and it is rich in natural resources (iron ore, coal, and oil). The major industrial cities on the plain are Harbin, Shenyang, and Changchun. The Sanjiang Plain at the confluence of the Sungari, Amur[4], and Ussuri[5] rivers in the far northeast is generally considered to be part of the Northeast Plain.

North Plain

North plain, also called Yellow Plain or Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, is a large alluvial plain of northern China, built up along the shore of the Yellow Sea by deposits of the Yellow River and the Huaihai, and a few other minor rivers of northern China. Covering an area of about 158,000 square miles (409,500 km2), most of which is below 160 feet (50 metres) above the sea level, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world; since earliest times, it has been a major focus of Chinese (Han) culture. The plain is bordered on the north by the Yan Mountains, on the west by the Taihang Mountains and the Henan highlands, and on the southwest by the Tongbai and Dabie mountains. To the south it merges into the Yangtze Plain. From northeast to southeast it fronts the Bo Hai, the hills of Shandong Peninsula, and the Yellow Sea. Most of the rivers flow across the plain on elevated beds that are above the surrounding areas. Beijing, the national capital, is located on the northwest edge of the plain, and Tianjin, an important industrial city and commercial port, is situated near the northeast coast. The Grand Canal, beginning at Beijing, crosses the eastern part of the plain and then continues to the south and southeast to Suzhou and Hangzhou.

The North China Plain is the gift of the Yellow River and the other streams which flow out from northwestern China. This fertile plain is a region of wide diversification in crops. One-quarter to one-half of the land is sown to winter wheat in October, the amount being greater in the south. Barley and beans are also winter crops. Kaoliang (Sorghum) is the leading spring-planted crop. Millet is slightly less important, although locally it may exceed kaoliang. Cotton and hemp are scattered widely. Summer cropping consists of corn, millet, soybean, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and sesame. Tobacco is also locally important.

South (Hills)

East of the Tibetan Plateau, deeply folded mountains fan out toward the Sichuan Basin, which is ringed by mountains in 1,000-3,000 m elevations. The floor of the basin has an average elevation of 500 m and is home to one of the most densely farmed and populated regions of China. The Sichuan Basin is capped in the north by the eastward continuation of the Kunlun range, the Qinling and Dabashan. The Qinling and Dabashan ranges form a major north-south division across China Proper, the traditional core area of China. Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau and south of the Sichuan Basin is the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, which occupies much of southwest China. This plateau, with an average elevation of 2,000 m, is known for limestone karst landscape.

The core of South China is the fertile Yangtze Plain—often divided into middle and lower parts. About 70 percent of the Yangtze Plain is cultivated. Rice is the major crop and it has long been the primary commercial grain; the other main crop is winter wheat. The majority of South China's population is located on or near it; it contains nearly all of the region's major manufacturing centers; and it is the most prosperous part of South China, producing more wealth than the rest of the region combined.

The Xinjiang-Mongolian Uplands

The Xinjiang-Mongolian Uplands occupy the vast desert areas of northwestern China. Northwest of the Tibetan Plateau, between the northern slope of Kunlun and southern slope of Tian Shan, is the vast Tarim Basin of Xinjiang. The Tarim Basin, the largest in China, measures 1,500 km from east to west and 600 km from north to south at its widest parts. Average elevation in the basin is 1,000 m. To east, the basin descends into the Hami-Turpan Depression of eastern Xinjiang, where the dried lake bed of Lake Ayding at -154 m below the sea level, is the lowest surface point in China and the third lowest in the world. With temperatures that have reached 49. 6 ℃, the lake bed ranks as the hottest place in China. North of Tian Shan is Xinjiang's second great basin, the Jungar. The Jungar Basin is enclosed to the north by the Altay Mountains which separates Xinjiang from Russia and Mongolia.

Northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, the Altun Shan-Qilian Mountains range branches off the Kunlun and creates a parallel mountain range running east-west. In between in northern Qinghai is the Qaidam Basin, with elevation of 2,600-3,000 m and numerous brackish and salt lakes. North of the Qilian is Hexi Corridor of Gansu, a natural passage between Xinjiang and China Proper that was part of the ancient Silk Road and traversed by modern highway and rail lines to Xinjiang. Further north, the Inner Mongolian Plateau, between 900-1,500 m in elevation, arcs north up the spine of China and becomes the Da Hinggan Range of Northeast China.

Between the Qinling and the Inner Mongolian Plateau is Loess Plateau, the largest of its kind in the world, covering 650,000 km2 in Shaanxi, parts of Gansu and Shanxi provinces, and some of Ningxia-Hui Autonomous Region. The plateau is 1,000-1,500 m in elevation and is filled with loess, a yellowish loose soil that travels easily in the wind. Eroded loess silt gives the Yellow River its color and name. The Loess Plateau is bound to the east by the Luliang Mountain of Shanxi, which has a narrow basin running north to south along the Fen River. Further east is the Taihang Mountains of Hebei, the dominant topographical feature of North China. Important products in this area are cotton, tomatoes, oat and so forth. In the more arid grasslands, herding of goats or sheep is a traditional method of subsistence.

The Tibetan Highlands

This region lies in southwestern China, with an area approximately 2 million km2 and an average elevation, 4,000-5,000 m. It consists of a vast plateau bordered by towering mountains, the Himalaya on the south, the Pamirs on the west, and the Kunlun on the north. The world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, rises 29,028 feet (8,848 metres) above the sea level in the Himalaya in southern Tibet. Two of the world's longest rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, begin in the highlands and flow eastward across China to the sea.

The northern and central parts of the Tibetan Highlands (known locally as Chang Tang) consist of flat or rolling plains (elevation 4,600-5,200 m) alternating with relatively short mountain ranges. The ranges have broad, flat watersheds, gentle slopes only slightly affected by erosional processes, and numerous bodies of rock fragments. Despite its enormous altitude, Chang Tang has the appearance of a region with middle-mountain topography; only individual peaks that rise above the snow line have glaciers and alpine characteristics. In the outlying areas of the Tibetan Highlands, especially the areas adjacent to the Tansiie Shan and the Himalayas, the elevation of the plains decreases to 3,500 m, and the plains frequently assume the form of intermontane basins. The slopes of the peripheral ranges are precipitous and strongly dissected, the river valleys (especially in the east) forming deep gorges.

The most important crop in Tibet is barley. Meat dishes are likely to be yak, goat, or mutton, often dried, or cooked into a spicy stew with potatoes. Mustard seed is cultivated in Tibet, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yak yogurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yogurt is considered something of a prestige item. Butter tea is very popular to drink. The beauty of Tibet's soaring Himalayas, the warmth of its nomadic and deeply devout people, and the mysteries of its ancient Buddhist monasteries attract tourists all over the world.

2. Climate

China's climate is extremely diverse. Since the country covers such a vast geographical area that stretches across 35 degrees of latitude, China's climate ranges from being sub-tropical in the south to sub-arctic in the north. Variations in land elevation also contribute to the extreme climatic differences.

Northeast China is known for its hot, dry summers and long, cold winters. In central China, the summers are hot and humid, with heavy rainfall during the late summer months. The climate on the Yunnan-Guizhou High Plateau is generally mild, with warm summers and cool winters and with very little rainfall. Southern China's climate, around Hong Kong and Guangdong province, is considered to be sub-tropical. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year. Summers are long, hot and humid while the winters are short with cooler temperatures. On the Tibet Qinghai Plateau, summer is short and moderately warm while winters can get very cold at higher altitudes.

In general, the areas north of the Yangtze River have extremely cold winters but somewhat milder summers. The central area around the Yangtze River Valley has long hot summers with heavy precipitation from monsoons and typhoons. Monsoons are the winds that bring rain from the south in summer and snowstorms from the north in winter. Monsoons have been the source of massive flooding along the Yangtze for years. Typhoons typically hit the southeast coast between July and September.