70 Teaching History Geographic Features of Ancient China Stephen Pfeiffer, St Catherine’s School, Waverley 1. Label the following geographic features of China on the map: A. East China Sea B. South China Sea C. The Yellow River D. The Yangtze River E. The Pearl River F. The Manchurian Plain (also known as the ‘Northeast China Plain’) G. The Khingan Mountains H. The Central/North China Plain (includes the ‘Yellow River Valley’) I. The Southern China Plain J. The Sichuan Basin (also known as the ‘Red Basin’) K. The Himalayas L. The Tibetan Plateau M. The Tarim Basin (also known as the ‘Taklimakan Desert’) N. The Gobi Desert O. The Mongolian Steppe P. The Loess Plateau SEPTEMBER 2014 71 2. What environments and geographic features do the colours represent? Describe them below: Colour Type of Describe the geographic features of this environment Environment Green/Dark Green Hills, mountains & uplands that rise to extremely high altitudes Grey Can be extremely steep and rocky with jagged cliff s and ridges Typically densely forested Purple Yellow/Brown Desert/semi-desert Light Green Pink/Peach Loess Plateau 3. Which type of environment did the earliest settlements of ancient Chinese civilisation fi rst develop? 4. Explain how the geographical setting and natural features infl uenced the development of ancient Chinese civilisation. 72 Teaching History Sample Answers Colour Type of Describe the features of this environment Environment Green/Dark Lowland valleys Areas with very fertile soil Green and plains suitable and productive for farming Includes fl ood plains around rivers Includes forests, and in the south more tropical forest Consistent rainfall throughout the year Grey Upland and Areas that include hills, mountains and uplands that rise to mountain regions extremely high altitudes Can be extremely steep and rocky with jagged cliff s and ridges Typically densely forested Purple Tibetan plateau Extremely high altitude plateau surrounded by mountains Features precipitation throughout most of the year, including extreme snow storms Includes huge glaciers In the warmer months, melting glaciers and snowfall feed the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers SEPTEMBER 2014 73 Yellow/Brown Deserts/semi- Arid to semi-arid deserts deserts Oases are located throughout the region Some deserts include vast plains of sand dunes Semi-deserts include some vegetation Light Green Steppe Very fl at and vast grasslands, also known as prairies Little to no forests Soil not fertile or suitable for growing crops But very suitable for herding animals such as horses, cows Pink/Peach Loess plateau Semi-arid area with sparse vegetation Rich yellow soil that covers a large area in the upper-middle reaches of the Yellow River Blown across northern China by the winds from Mongolia Settles in the Yellow River and gets carried downstream to the Central Plain 3. The lowland river valleys and plains on the eastern side of China. 4. Ancient Chinese civilisation developed throughout the river valleys of the Yellow River in the Central Plains for several reasons. The soil was highly suitable for settled lifestyle due to its high fertility. The rich yellow silt was carried to the Central Plain from the Loess Plateau which made the plain highly productive for agriculture. When people began to populate the region they settled and formed agricultural based communities. The fertile soils and consistent rainfall allowed these areas to support a large population which grew over time. As the population expanded, the communities developed into complex societies and soon developed systems of government. This is how the geographical setting contributed to the development of the ancient Chinese civilisation in the Yellow River valley. 2014 Dates Final Term 30 September HTAA National History Conference – 2 October Brisbane Grammar School, Brisbane, Qld Program and registration: www.qhta.com.au/conferences.htm 17 October Simpson Prize Entries due: www.simpsonprize.org 6 December Headstart to History Extension, teachers & students Macquarie University Changed Date Details (early September): www.htansw.asn.au/pd-sydney.