ABSTRACT
Central China became the civil war belt between north and south; its heightened expectations were ravaged by the wars, and poverty was bred in the midst of plenty. This chapter discusses the system of mountain ranges and the relatively low population density of the highland. It outlines briefly the similar vegetation and crops, and similar infrequency of natural hazards. In addition, portions of the rim relied in a similar way on trade and credit supply from the nearby core areas, used similar traditional means of transport, shared a scarcity of villages, and exhibited backwardness in handicrafts. The chapter focuses on a few cash crops of considerable value to the peasant— tong oil, opium, and bristles. The yellow earth of western Hubei is rich in organic nutrients, suitable for growing maize, sweet potatoes, legume, rape-seeds, winter wheat, and paddy rice. The clayey and acidic soil found on the slopes is only good enough for maize and sweet potatoes.
