ABSTRACT
During the development of technologies, the natural environment obviously plays an important role. For example, the initial metal smelting industry perhaps appeared only in areas rich in ore, and intensive agriculture did not appear in areas where there was plenty of land and small populations. The natural environment provides a platform for and is also the driving force behind technological development. Before medieval times, North China had abundant water resources, as there were many rivers and lakes. It therefore provided good conditions for the development of rice cultivation. Technology is constrained by the environment. In the Jifu region, the paddy techniques transferred from the south were adjusted according to the local environmental conditions. The use of paddy techniques also had some positive effects on Jifu's environment. For example, it expanded the area of wetland, changed the local agricultural landscape, maintained the biological diversity and led to the formation of the paddy soil.
