Geography of China
“The Roof of the World” – Tibetan Plateau
• A HUGE raised plain that forms most of Tibet
• Sits higher than most mountaintops in the USA
• Many of Asia’s largest rivers begin on this plateau
• Short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2BMvL8gJxI
Huang River (Yellow River)
• 3,000 miles long
• Starts as a clear stream, but picks up
silt on its journey
• Spreads enough silt on the North
China Plain to create a delta
• China’s oldest civilization grew from
farming communities along the lower
part of the river
Short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkD4lKWS0ro
The Huang River Valley
• GIANT curve around the Ordos Desert
• Cuts through hilly region made of LOESS (yellow soil)
• Short Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGwb3zxRR-A
Loess: A Blessing and a Curse
• Short Video (start at 4:10, end 5:00) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAfV
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• Loess-silt helps farmers because it is fine,
rock-free, and very fertile
• Can easily be carried away by storms
because it is light and fluffy
• After storms, farmers are left with poor soil
What happens when a levee breaks? Qiantang River footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5ePTrZn-rk
Controlling the Floods
• Unlike Egypt, did NOT
welcome floods – they would
wash away the soil
• Built earth LEVEES (walls)
to keep river in banks
• Canals were built, but were
sometimes ineffective – loess
would clog them
Huang Valley’s Population Grew, and…
• Farmers had to clear trees to
plant crops
• Erosion was a result: the wearing
away of soil
• Difficult for farmers to grow
crops when soil is washed away
• Famines occurred
Summing it Up (Answer in Partners)
• How has loess helped China’s farmers? How has it caused problems?
• Why was it important for ancient farmers to control the Huang River? What
made it hard for them to achieve their goal?
• What caused ancient farmers to strip loess-lands of their trees and shrubs?
What effects did this have on life along the Huang?