Early Establishment Of China

While language was essential in the establishment of China, the geography of the land was the infrastructure of early Chinese history. Despite being approximately the same size of the current United States, China has always had a much less hospitable terrain. Southern China, however, is composed of fruitful land stemming from warm winds from the Pacific Ocean and the protection from the northern continental winds by the Qinling Mountains. This allowed for the farming of rice fields, which have now developed into one of China’s major exports. Northern China was characterized for its open terrain and difficult weather. The exposed land in the north made it much more susceptible to foreign invasion. Yet this open land also allowed for more linguistic cohesion, leading to the development of the Mandarin dialect, now the standard vernacular for the People’s Republic of China. Before loess began to cause flooding, the Yellow River, spanning 2,700 miles in northern China, was regarded as the “creator” of Chinese civilization due to its rich and fertile resources. The fertile land around the Yellow River allowed for rapid cultivation and therefore produced two of China’s ancient capitals, Xi An and Luo Yang. With geographical landmarks such as the Yellow River and the Qinling Mountains, it is clear that the establishment of early Chinese history was dependent on the natural resources of the main land. The topographical difference of northern and southern China allowed for early cultivation of the Chinese culture and therefore became the infrastructure of Chinese civilization.