ABSTRACT
The geographical setting in Central and South China differed in various ways from the conditions that had to be met in the North and the Northwest. Chinese history is inseparably linked to the problems posed by the rivers that had to be tamed to prevent the ever-threatening floods, and to the skill in building canals for drainage, irrigation, and transportation. The Northwest and the North China plain, the cradle of the Chinese way of life, are covered by a special soil called loess, which occurs only in a few minor areas of the globe outside of China. In the Northwest and the North China plain, the spread of early agricultural settlements, denuding mountain slopes of their forest growth, contributed to the change of climate, which in turn altered the flora and fauna and aggravated the problem of lack of moisture, resulting in insufficient rainfall.
