North China Plain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Simplified Chinese: 华北平原; Traditional Chinese: 華北平原; pinyin: Huáběi Píngyuán), the North China Plain, also called the Central Plain(s) (Chinese: 中原; pinyin: Zhōngyuán), is based on the deposits of the Huang the west by the Taihang Mountains. To the south it merges into the Yangtze Plain. From northeast to southeast it fronts the Bohai Gulf, the highlands of Shandong Peninsula, and the Yellow Sea. The Yellow River flows through the middle of the plain into Bohai Gulf.
The plain covers an area of about 409,500 square kilometers (158,000 square miles), most of which is less than (50 m) above sea level. This flat yellow-soil plain is the main area of sorghum, millet, maize, and cotton production in China. Wheat, sesame seed, peanuts and tobacco are also grown here. The plain is one of the most densely populated regions in the world.
Beijing, the national capital, is located on the northeast edge of the plain, with Tianjin, an important industrial city and commercial port, near its northeast coast. Dagang Oilfield in Tianjin and Shengli Oilfield in Shandong are important petroleum bases.
[edit] Historical and cultural significance
Since the beginning of recorded history, the North China Plain has been an important site for Chinese civilization.
In the pre-Qin era, present-day Luoyang and its nearby areas were considered the “Center of the World”, as the political seat of the Xia Dynasty was located around Songshan and the Yiluo River valley.
Inscriptions on some bronze objects from this era contain references to the 'Central States' (Zhongguo), 'Eastern States', or 'Southern States'. This indicates that the Central Plain, which was referred as the 'Central States' in these inscriptions, was considered to occupy the center of the world.
The Songshu, official history of Song Dynasty states: “Ancient emperors of ability arose in the northwest, that were able to conquer the Central Plain and further occupy the southeast." Zhuge Liang, a famous military strategist also stated that "he would lead an army to conquer the Central Plain." All these point to the fact that the Central Plain was of both political and strategic importance. This may be the reason that many later dynasties selected Luoyang and Kaifeng in the Central Plain as their capitals.
The geography of the North China Plain has had profound cultural and political implications. Unlike southern China, the North China Plain is not divided by mountains or rivers and as a result communication by horse is rapid within the plain. As a result, the spoken language is relatively uniform in contrast to the plethora of dialects in southern China. In addition the possibility of rapid communication has meant that the political center of China has tended to be located in the North China Plain.
Because the fertile soil of the North China Plain gradually merges with the steppes and deserts of Central Asia, with no natural barriers between the two regions, the North China Plain has been prone to invasion from Central Asia and Manchuria, prompting the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Although the soil of the North China Plain is fertile, the weather is unpredictable, being at the intersection of humid winds from the Pacific and dry winds from the interior. This makes the plain prone to both flood and drought. Finally, the flatness of the North China Plain creates massive flooding when river works are damaged. In the opinion of many historians, these factors have encouraged the development of a centralized Chinese state to manage granaries, maintain hydraulic works, and man fortifications against the steppe peoples.
