Loess Plateau Landscape

This is a unique geomorphic unit of a plateau landscape composed of thick layers of loess. China’s Loess Plateau has an area of 440,000 km², and the elevations are generally 1,000–2,000 m. It is located to the west of the Taihang Mountains, east of Riyue (Sun and Moon) Mountain, south of the Great Wall and in the vast area north of the Qinling Mountains, including four geographical regions: the Longxi (West Gansu) Plateau west of Liupan Mountain; the Longdong (East Gansu) Plateau between Liupan Mountain and Ziwu (Meridian) Ridge; the Northern Shaanxi Plateau between Ziwu Ridge and the Luliang Mountains; and the Shanxi Plateau between the Luliang Mountains and the Taihang Mountains. The Loess Plateau is an important agricultural and energy resource base. More than one million years ago, the Lantian ape-man lived and flourished in this region. Since then, China’s farming culture has developed in this area, which became the cradle of Chinese civilisation. However, the loose soil...