Introduction to the Loess Plateau

Introduction to the Topic

China is one of the ancient civilizations that still exist today. Covering an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, the Chinese landscape is diverse and vast across the nation, ranging from the freezing north next to Siberia to the subtropical and tropical south islands in the South China Sea, from the continuous mountain ridges in the west to the flatlands in the east.

The Hukou Waterfall

Pictured by Leruswing, 18 June, 2008, excerpted from Wikipedia Commons

Among all of these amazing landscapes, the Chinese Yellow River, the second largest river in Asia, springs from the Bayan Har Mountains in the Qinghai province of the western plateau to and flows into Bohai in the east. Respectfully named as “the cradle of the Chinese civilization”, the Yellow River runs across nine provinces in the nation. The Loess Plateau, the ecosystem that we are going to introduce, is located in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River.

Landscape of part of the Yellow Rive from the sky

Excerpted from Baidupedia

Centuries ago, the Loess Plateau was highly fertile and suitable for farming. Ancient civilizations established their realms centered on the region. As a result, the Yellow River is also called the “Mother River of China”. However, deforestation and over-gazing exacerbated the ecosystem years by years, and with the increase of population, the ecosystem now is totally different from what it was more than two thousand years ago. Soil erosion caused by deforestation, reduction in the acres of farmlands caused by desertification, and air pollution caused by the overexploit of underground coals all lead to the degenerating environment and the underdeveloped local economy.

In this blogger, we will try to explore the whole story of the environmental changes occurred in the Loess Plateau. Starting from the introduction, we will later on going to a brief history around the area, including the dynasties that were built upon the place. We will also compare scientific studies and historical materials that can return us the image of the Loess Plateau from two thousand years ago. Multiple reasons that alter the environment will also be discussed, mainly including the climate change and the human impact. In the end, we hope through the blog, people will be more concerned about the environmental issues in China and the world, and actively participate in the protection.