Understanding the Geography of China

An Assemblage of Pieces

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Just as the physical environment shape human societies, human settlements have changed the natural landscape. Photo: mote/flickr.

Southwest Uplands
Physical characteristics: Nothing so dominates and defines southwest
China as its rugged, highly eroded topography. Because it is close to
the tropical cyclones of the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea it
has abundant rainfall (often causing erosion or denuded slopes). This
location and terrain create numerous distinctive local "niches" that
often are self-sufficient, which in turn support an abundance of
distinct ethnic groups, many of which also live in the neighboring
countries of Laos, Vietnam, Burma, and even Thailand.

History: This region first came into the Chinese sphere during the
Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Its history reflects both its rugged
topography as well as its proximity to the modern countries and peoples
of southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar
(Burma). Trade between these countries and the Southwest Uplands often
has been illegal and generally consisted of small items of great value,
such as jade or opium.

Economic activities and resources today: Land for grazing and the
cultivation of rice, winter wheat, tea, and beans is available in the
region. The tropical plateau along the border of Vietnam and Laos is
ideal for cultivating rubber and bananas. The mining of tin, another
major industry of this region, is the only distinctive economy that is
both traditional and modern. More valuable, however, has been the
cultivation and export of opium, an activity developed as a result of
Britain's Opium War with China.

Housing: caves carved into the loess cliffs and mud-brick houses in rural areas; apartments in urban areas
Social organization: nuclear families
Transportation: walking, mule, and horse in rural areas
Food staples: vegetables, rice, ducks and geese

Xinjiang
Physical characteristics: China's largest province is a landscape of
deserts, mountains, and oases. Most of the region is dominated by the
Tarim Basin, which is filled mostly by the formidable Taklamakan desert
and rimmed by high mountains-the Kunlun Shan to the south, the
Karakorum to the west, and the Tian Shan to the north. The alpine
beauty of the Tian Shan separates the Tarim Basin from the smaller
Junggar Basin, which is characterized by more moisture and grass.

History: The inhabitants of the Junggar Basin have a long association
with various Mongol peoples, but they are more pastoral than nomadic.
Located between the cultural empires of China in the east and central
Asia in the west, Xinjiang was an important historic link along the
Silk Roads. The peoples living along oases around the rim of the Tarim
Basin had closer ties to Persia and the Islamic influences of the
Middle East. The Uighurs, Xinjiang's largest minority, are
predominantly Muslim and Turkic in ethnicity and language. Their
economic history is more closely linked to the mercantile cities and
trade of the ancient Silk Road than to the irrigation practices of
eastern China. The trade and traffic along this famous route integrated
people and cultures and introduced distinctive styles of music and
musical instruments, especially the suona and pipa, or Chinese-style
lute. The beginning of the twentieth century found the British,
Germans, American, Japanese, and Russians vying for control of this
strategically important location.

Economic activities and resources today: Xinjiang is rich in oil. The
Taklamakan is too barren for agriculture but is often used as a nuclear
test site. Despite the fact that the railroad does not extend very far
west into the province, tourism is gaining in this remote region of
spectacular scenery with a wealth of archaeological treasures,
including Buddhist cave temples, ruined cities and fortresses,
petrogylphs, and 4,000-year-old mummies.

Housing: earth/adobe houses, two-storied with flat roofs. Nomads live
in tents, while apartments are common in urban areas. Mosques and some
residential architecture have Central Asian or Persian-style
influences.
Social organization: nuclear families in urban areas; groups of families for nomads
Transportation: long-distance trucks and buses in rural areas; bicycles
within cities. Mules are used in cities, and horses and camels in rural
areas.
Food staples: wheat noodles, flat wheat bread (nan), and mutton