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*CHECKERED LANDSCAPE FORMED BY RICE PATTIES*
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Mr. Qin Shi says in China 1993, "Most of China is situated in the temperate zone. Some parts of south China are located in tropical and subtropical zones while the northern part is near the frigid zone. In north China, summers are warm and short and winter long and cold. In the tropical and subtropical south, trees and other vegetation remain green all year. The eastern coastal regions of China are warm and humid and have four distinct seasons. But the temperatures in the interior areas of northwest China change greatly during the daytime. There is a saying: ""People wear fur coats in the morning and silk at noon."" Because of its high elevation, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau area, a special alpine-cold zone, has low temperatures all year round.
China has 95.65 million hectares of cultivated land, mostly in the Northeast, North China, and Middle-Lower Yangtze plains, the Pearl River (Zhujiang) Delta and the Sichuan Basin. The Northeast Plain with fertile black soil is ideal for crop growth--wheat, maize, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets and flax. The North China Plain has level terrain and deep topsoil, where major crops include wheat, maize, millet, sorghum and cotton, along with apples, pears, grapes, persimmons and other fruits. The Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain abounds in rice, rapeseed, broad beans, tangerines and freshwater fish. This area is called ""land of fish and rice.""
China has 128.63 million hectares of forest cover. The Greater Hinggan, Lesser Hinggan and Chanbai mountain ranges in northeast China are the largest natural forest areas that produce large stands of coniferous trees, such as Korean pine and larch, and broad-leaf trees, such as white birch, oak, northeast China ash, poplar and elm. Southwest China is another natural forest area, where the following varieties thrive: dragon spruce, fir, Yunnan pine, teak, red sandalwood, camphorwood, nanmu and padauk.
Grasslands cover 400 million hectares. Grasslands stretch 3,000 kilometres across China from the northeast to the southwest. Animal husbandry bases are located in the grasslands. Inner Mongolian grassland is the largest natural pastureland in China where the Sanhe horse, Sanhe cattle and Mongolian sheep are raised. South and north of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, there are also famous natural pasturelands ideal for livestock. The famous Ili horse and the Xinjian fine-wool sheep are raised here.
China has the greatest diversity of wildlife in the world. There are an estimated 2,091 species of terrestrial vertebrates, 10 percent of the world's total. There are 1,186 known species of birds, and more than 420 animal species. Among the wild animals, there are many rare species found only in China. These include the giant panda, golden monkey, white lipped deer, takin, Chinese river dolphin and Chinese alligator.
Sichuan is a well-watered plateau province the heart of which is known as the Red Basin. It is crossed in the south section by the Yangtze and in the central part by three of its tributaries, the Min, To, and the Chia-ling. The Yangtze flows north to south. In the mountains in the southeast, the Yangtze flows through the Yangtze Gorges. The river in the Red Basin is navigable and there is much junk traffic.
Chief products of Sichuan include rice, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, wheat, coal, salt, gold, silver, and copper and the chief cities are Chengdu and Chungking.
The best known tourist attractions in Chengdu are:
the Temple of Marquis Wu
Besides the local teahouses, snack bars and bazars (also known as free markets) are still the popular places for tourists to frequent. One can either taste the typical Sichuan cuisine, local wine and tea, or sort out his shopping of local special products like Shu emboidery pieces, bamboo, woven porcelainware and lacquerware, or familiarize himself with local folklores and customs.
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