ABSTRACT
Like deeply etched skin, the loess dominates the face of Shaanxi. 1 From the deserts and sandy hills of the north, through the ravines, gullies and plateaus of the central layer, down to the rich valley of the Wei, it moulds the life of its people. The air they breathe is flavoured by its fine dust. It is only in the south, protected by the Qinling Mountains, that the loess has no presence, and the environment is part of a different natural world. 2 The contrast between the two regions north of the Qinling, Shaanbei and Guanzhong, and Shaannan to the south is thus profound. The north is part of the Yellow River system. The climate ranges from warm temperate to semi-arid, with long cold winters. Its grains are wheat, maize and the coarse grains of north China. The south is a mountainous zone which stands at the headwaters of the Han River and links naturally to the Yangtze River basin. Its climate is mild and wet, and its products of rice, tea and silk are characteristic of the south.
