Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145
15
45
40
40
35
Beijing
35
30
Z
hengzhou
Xian
30
Sha
nghai
25
Guangzhoiu
20
1a Cool, subhumid plain
6
1b Humid temperate plains
20
2 Cool, subhumid mountain ranges
15
3 Semi-arid to arid & subhumid plateaus
4 Arid basins & mountain ranges
5 Cold plateau & basin
6 Temperate to subtropical plateau
subtropical basin & subtropical to
tropical hills & islands
Guangzho
u
10
Haikou
5
South China Sea Is.
90 95 100 105 110 115 120 -125 110 115 120
Figure 10.2
Ecological zones of China. (From Zhao, 1986. With permission.)
3.
The arid Junggar and Tarim Basins and surrounding mountain ranges in the Northwest.
4.
The cold Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (including the Qaidam basin) bordered by the Himalayan moun-
tain range in the Southwest.
5.
The temperate to subtropical Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the subtropical Sichuan Basin, and the
subtropical to tropical Dongnan Hills and Hainan Island in the South and Southeast.
SOIL IDENTIFICATION IN ANCIENT CHINA
Long History of Agriculture
The relics of the Yangshao Culture and the Hemudu Culture in the New Stone Age were
discovered in the Banpo village, XiÔan, located in the reaches of the Yellow River, and in many
places in the delta of the Yangtze River, respectively, both of which are the Chinese culture cradles.
The carbonized grains in those relics date back to 6000 to 7000 years ago. Much of the pottery of
the New Stone Age, unearthed in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in 1988, may be traced
back to 8200 to 9100 years ago (Gong and Liu, 1994).
These and other archeological studies demonstrate that as early as the New Stone Age, our
ancestors had already cultivated cereal crops. Afterwards, the farming activities gradually spread
nationwide, with the propagation of Chinese culture.
Agriculture in Ancient China
), some
famous water projects were built, such as the Zhengguo Channel, Ximen Bao Channel, Dujiang
Weir and Ling Channel. Many of these still play an important role in agricultural production today.
During the Han Dynasty (206
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770 to 221
BC
), the technology of breeding and transplanting rice
seedlings and planting vegetables in a greenhouse was introduced. Since then, the cultivation in
to 8
BC
AD
