Physical features Worksheet

Focus question: What are the physical features of China and how did these features affect
the development of ancient Chinese society?
Historical context
• People’s lives are inevitably affected by their environment, and often the way they
organise their society can be indirectly or directly linked to their environment. China is a
vast land with diverse physical features. China, along with Mesopotamia, Egypt and India,
has been described as a river valley civilisation because the earliest permanent settlements
were along the Yellow River (Huang He).
• A distinctive Chinese culture based on the rivers was able to develop in the eastern river
valleys of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers and eventually in the vast North China Plain
between the two rivers. Archaeological evidence suggests that Neolithic settlements were
not restricted to these two river valleys. Remains of habitation sites have been found in a
range of areas throughout China. The river valleys, however, saw the most significant
growth of settlements and the earliest amalgamation into structured political entities.
• The role of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers can be seen in Chinese mythology, especially the
story of the Great Flood. In Chinese tradition, Yu the Great, who ruled towards the end of
the third millennium, is credited with developing ways of dealing with such devastating
floods. Floods have been a devastating natural occurrence in China for thousands of years.
• The Yellow River in particular has flooded thousands of time. Tonnes of silt are carried
along the river from the Loess Plateau through which it flows. This silt is deposited along the
river bed, which increases the height of the river bed. This in turn increases the propensity
for the river to flood and even change course, as it has done on many occasions. This can
leave millions of people who depend on the river vulnerable. The Yellow River today is also
heavily polluted and many fish species have become extinct.
• Ensuring the health and good flow of China’s rivers was a major responsibility of the
emperors, and floods and ensuing famine often brought down a dynasty.
• China developed some of the most sophisticated irrigation systems in the ancient world.
Dams, channels and even large canals were developed to manage the rivers. Dams stored
water, which was diverted through channels to bring a constant water supply to the fields.
Canals not only linked the rivers but also opened up the rivers to safer transport so that
goods could be sent to markets beyond the local area.
 Dujiang Weir
• The above photograph shows one of the major irrigation structures from ancient China. It is the
Dujiang Weir, which is part of the Dujiang Irrigation System in south eastern China. It was one of
several major engineering accomplishments of the Qin State in the third century BCE. It is now a
World Heritage site. A remarkable feature of the project is the fact that the system cuts through the
mountain. This was accomplished without using explosives to remove the mountain rock. It had an
enormous impact on the wealth of the region, as it increased the productivity of the farming land.

Explore visual sources to determine the physical features of China

Map 2 1. Himalayan Mountains

2. Gobi Desert 3. Terraced Rice Fields Southern China

Examine Map 2 and the photographs

• Use the satellite image (Map 2) to determine the two largest rivers in China.

• China has several natural frontiers (geographical features that might help to prevent others from
attacking China). Examine the satellite image and name two of these natural frontiers.

• Examine the photographs of China’s landscapes. Beside each of the numbers in a table, similar to
the one below, describe the key characteristics of that landscape. The first one has been completed
for you.

1 Very high mountain peaks covered in snow, with barren land in foreground

2 Grass in foreground and sand dunes in the background

3 Hilly/mountainous slopes, tiers upon tiers of green terraces

4 High and fairly flat land covered with dry soil

5 Yellowish water plunges over cliffs stirring up smoke

Examine primary sources to identify the perspective of people from the past

Examine Sources 1 and 2 below.

Source 1 Source 2

Questions:

In Source 1, how can we tell from the painting that the river is in flood? (Describe what you see)

According to Source 2, what effect did the floods have on the people?
Source 1: The painter has captured the turbulence of the river in flood by showing large waves with
frothy tops rising up and surging along, appearing to be almost unstoppable.

Source 2: The written source uses language like ‘assail the heavens’ and ‘overtopped the hills’ to
convey the same ideas as the painter has shown in Source 1.

Map 3 Map showing China’s main geographical features

Use map 3 to respond to the following.

a. Identify the natural boundaries that separated China from its neighbours east, south-west
and central north.
East: Pacific Ocean
South-West: Himalayan mountains
Central north: Gobi
b. Which area of China would require a human-made boundary to separate it from its
neighbours?
The large land was isolated from much of the rest of the world by dry desert to the north
and west, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and impassable mountains to the south. Therefore,
a human-made boundary would not be required. However, The Great Wall of China was
built to protect the Chinese from northern Invaders, the Mongols who lived in the Gobi
Desert.