Geography and the Early Settlement of China, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Geography

Download Geography and the Early Settlement of China and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Geography in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 19 – Geography and the Early Settlement of China How did geography affect life in ancient China? 19.1 - Introduction Keren Su/Corbis Extreme climate conditions, like this sandstorm, made travel and trade difficult and helped isolate China from the rest of the world. In this chapter, you will explore the geography of the vast land of China. You will read about the physical features, climate, and vegetation that greatly influenced the way of life of the early people of China. China is a large country in eastern Asia. Words like highest, largest, and longest come to mind when talking about China’s geography. The world’s highest mountains, the Himalayas, are in China. So is one of the world’s largest deserts, the Taklimakan (tah-kluh-muh-KAHN) Desert. China also has some of the longest rivers in the world. China’s climate is just as extreme as its physical features. The weather can vary from ice storms in the high mountains to the dreaded sandstorms of the Taklimakan Desert. The sandstorms darken the skies as if it were nighttime. Hot, howling winds fill the air with sand and gravel. For people caught in a sandstorm, survival may mean wrapping themselves in clothing or blankets and lying down until the storm passes. That could be hours, perhaps even days. As you can see, China is a land of contrasts. In this chapter, you will compare five geographic regions in China. You will learn about the climate, physical features, and vegetation of each region. You will also discover how geography affected the history of the early Chinese people: where they settled, the way they lived, and how they communicated with other civilizations. 19.2 - An Overview of China’s Geography Present-day China is the third largest country in the world, after Russia and Canada. China includes about 3.7 million square miles (9.6 million square kilometers). With a population of about 1.2 billion, more people live in China than in any other country. Most of ancient Chinese history involved Inner China, but the geography of both Inner and Outer China affected early settlement Pichugin Dmitry/Shutterstock The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau is quite cold and dry. In summer, the temperatures often average only 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters average 18 degrees. The annual precipitation is only 10 inches. The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau is a rocky land surrounded by towering mountains. The Himalayas lie on the southern edge of the plateau. The tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, is part of this mountain range. Its peak is 29,000 feet in altitude, or more than five miles high. Because the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau is so high, its climate is very cold. The air is thin and dry. Snow falls even in the summer. Two of China’s major rivers begin in this area: the Huang He (HWAHNG heh), also known as the Yellow River, and the Chang Jiang, also called the Yangtze River. Despite these rivers, the plateau is rather dry. The natural vegetation consists of sparse scrubs and grasses. Antelopes and yaks, a type of ox, roam the area. Sometimes they are prey for wolves and wildcats. For the people of ancient times, the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau was a challenging place to live. It was too cold and dry to grow crops. But the grasses did provide food for yaks and other livestock. The cold, rocky plateau and the high mountains made travel to Inner China very difficult through this area. 19.4 - The Northwestern Deserts The northwestern part of Outer China is known for its vast deserts, including the Taklimakan and the Gobi (GOH-bee). These deserts are harsh places to live and difficult to cross. The climate varies from sizzling hot in the summer to below freezing in the winter. The oases are the only places to grow crops or raise animals such as sheep. Evidence shows that in ancient times, shelters made of mud were sometimes built near oases. The Taklimakan Desert The Taklimakan Desert covers an area of about 105,000 square miles. It is considered one of the most dangerous deserts in the world. In fact, its name means “once you go in, you will not come out.” Desert winds cause huge sand dunes to shift and change. Sandstorms arise with stunning speed. Legend says that two armies and 300 cities are buried 600 feet beneath the sand dunes. As you might expect, the desert is too dry to have much vegetation. Bushes, weeds, and trees grow only near oases and along rivers. The Gobi Desert Stretching over 500,000 square miles, the Gobi Desert is one of the world’s largest deserts. It covers part of China and present-day Mongolia. Unlike the Taklimakan Desert, the Gobi has very few sand dunes. Most of the desert is stony. Its surface is made up of small pebbles and tiny bits of sand. Vegetation is sparse. Plants tend to be small and widely spaced apart. Chenyun Fan/Dreamstime Temperatures vary greatly here in the Taklimakan Desert, and in other Northwestern Deserts. Summer temperatures can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In winter, the temperatures can be a chilly 15 degrees. The annual precipitation is about 5 inches. 19.5 - The Northeastern Plain The Northeastern Plain is located east of present-day Mongolia. Today, this area is sometimes called either Inner Mongolia or the Manchurian Plain. It is a land of low hills and plains. The natural vegetation is mostly prairie grass. In ancient times, the grass provided food for horses, sheep, and other animals raised by herders. The major rivers running through the Northeastern Plain are the Liao (lyow) and the Sungari (SOONG-guh-ree). The Liao is a shallow river, only navigable by small boats. The Sungari is deeper. It can carry larger boats. In the winter, when the waters freeze, people use these rivers as roads. The Northeastern Plain is an area of great contrasts in its climate. It has short, warm summers. In winter, the northern and eastern parts of the plain are dry and cold. But the southern half, especially the valley of the Liao, has milder weather and more water because of the river. In general, though, the plain is too cold and dry to be suitable for growing crops. In the south, a narrow coastal plain Like the Huang He, the Chang Jiang begins in the high western mountains. It flows through three plains and then to a rich delta. Its deposits help make the surrounding lands very fertile. The river floods less often than the Huang He, making the Chang Jiang less dangerous. The climate in the Chang Jiang Basins is warm and wet. In ancient times, the vegetation may have been thick rainforest. There was little space for farming, and the area was not suitable for grazing animals. But the basins were very good for growing rice, which needs abundant warmth and moisture. Digital Vision/Getty Images The Chang Jiang Basins have a mild, wet climate. Temperatures range from about 68 degrees Fahrenheit in summer to about 39 degrees in winter. The annual precipitation is about 41 inches. 19.8 - Early Settlement in Ancient China Archaeologists believe that the first inhabitants of China lived in caves more than 500,000 years ago. Remains of these people were found in the 1920s in the northeastern part of China. These cave dwellers are known today as either Peking (pay-king) man or Beijing (bay-jing) man. It is likely that they were nomads who lived by hunting, gathering, and fishing. They made tools and may have used fire. As people in China turned to farming, they began to settle mostly on the North China Plain in Inner China. They grew crops and lived in villages near the Huang He. This marked the start of settled Chinese society. It’s not surprising that early farmers chose this area to live in. The North China Plain had plenty of water, fertile soil, and a moderate climate. In contrast, both the Tibetan Plateau and the Northeastern Plain in Outer China were too cold and dry to grow crops. The Northwestern Deserts were also too dry. The Chang Jiang Basins were wet and fertile, but heavy rains may have made farming difficult. 19.9 - Ancient China’s Isolation China’s geography kept the early settlements in Inner China isolated. Only a narrow coastal plain linked the Northeastern Plain to Inner China. In the southwest, the towering mountains, rocky plateau, and cold climate formed a natural barrier. In the northwest, the large deserts created another barrier. Later in Chinese history, the same geographic features that kept ancient China isolated also made it difficult to govern a developing China as a unified state. The harsh geography and huge distances made communication and transportation difficult, and interfered with the movement of military forces. Section 10 - Different Regions, Different Ways of Life Although most early inhabitants settled on the North China Plain, some people did live in the other geographic regions. Ways of life for settlers in these regions developed quite differently. Life in Outer China Mainly because Outer China did not have good farmland, fewer people settled there than in Inner China. The Tibetan Plateau was not suitable for growing crops, but herders could raise livestock, especially yaks. The people who lived on the plateau were nomads who had to move frequently to find new grazing land. The animals they-herded supplied many of the nomads’ needs. They ate meat from the yak, and made butter and yogurt from yak milk. People used yak wool to make the heavy clothing that they needed to survive the cold climate. They also wove yak hair into material for tents. In the Northwestern Deserts, the only permanent communities were on the oases. There, residents built homes out of mud. People grew cotton and wheat. Their main foods were wheat noodles, bread, and mutton. The Northeastern Plain was too cold and dry for much farming, but its prairie grass supported livestock. Early inhabitants of this region were also nomads. They raised sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. Because they were constantly moving to find grass for their animals, they lived mostly in tents. Their main food was meat. They often invaded the North China Plain to get needed supplies. Eventually, the people of Inner China built the Great Wall to keep these invaders out. Life in Inner China The fertile land of Inner China supported larger, more settled populations on the North China Plain. Farmers grew mainly wheat and millet. They raised cattle, sheep, oxen, pigs, and chickens. They herded cattle, water buffalo, and horses. Settlers built permanent homes out of rammed earth (soil tightly packed to make solid walls). The Chang Jiang Basins had limited farmland and lacked grazing land for animals such as cattle. But rice thrived in this warm, wet area. As early as 10,000 B.C.E., settlers were able to grow rice in the river valley. They also raised pigs and poultry. Nearby seas provided plentiful seafood. People built permanent houses so they could stay in one place and tend their animals and crops. Summary In this chapter, you explored the climate, physical features, and vegetation in five geographic regions in China. You learned how geography affected settlement, ways of life, and communication in ancient China. Outer China This area includes three regions in the western and northern parts of modern China: the Tibet-Qinghai, or Tibetan, Plateau; the Northwestern Deserts (the Taklimakan and the Gobi); and the Northeastern Plain. This area’s features—high mountains, a cold and rocky plateau, and large deserts—isolated Inner China. Inner China This area includes two regions in the southeastern part of