Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
desert? The city of Tongwan was the largest among the sites of ancient ruined cities
partly buried in the sand of the Ordos Plateau. Around it are many other sand-buried
ruins of smaller castles and hamlets. It is note-worthy that these relics of ancient
settlement were distributed in the desert in such a way that they seemed to move
from the north-west towards the south-east in accordance with a progressive
sequence through time. For example, the ruins of the Han Dynasty, 2,000 years ago,
extended to the furthest limit of the north-western frontier. Moving backward a little
to the south-east, are ruins mostly of the Tang and Song Dynasties, hundreds or even
a 1,000 years later than the Han Dynasty. Ruins from the Ming and Qing Dynasties
of the last 300-400 years, are distributed mostly along the innermost south-eastern
border of the desert area. This distinctive pattern of distribution is not only closely
related to the growth and decline of the power of the Chinese dynasties but also is
directly connected with the chronological order of desertification in these areas: the
inevitable consequence of unreasonable utilization of land, caused primarily by the
reclamation of places unfit for agriculture and secondly by excessive firewood cut-
ting and pasturing. Details of that process await further examination and study.
In short, the Ordos Plateau is one of the most remarkable examples of desertifica-
tion in Chinese history. The main reason for its desertification lies not in changes of
climate or other natural elements but in the activities of man. The area of such
“desertified land” accounts for only 9.2 % of the total area of deserts in north China,
occupying 1,095,000 km
2
or 11.4 % of the total area of China's territory. The per-
centage is small, but the cause of desertification is highly significant.
Now in the world, especially in developing countries, desertification remains a
serious problem. Deserts and desertified land occupy one-third of the earth's surface
and nearly one-sixth of the world's population live in such areas. For this reason,
ways of preventing and curing desertification, as important measures of environ-
mental protection, have become questions of world-wide and outstanding interest in
the sphere of desert studies today. Some of the circumstances concerning desertifi-
cation which developing countries are confronting at present, have repeatedly
occurred in our history. To sum up this process scientifically is a task, we may say,
of definite relevance to our present and future welfare. In our opinion, it is a task all
historical geographers should participate in. I believe the historical geographers of
my country will strive to make contributions to this cause which calls for interna-
tional cooperation.
