There were two major rivers that flowed through ancient China. The Yellow River ran through northern China, while the Yangtze went through southern China. These rivers provided fresh water, fertile soil, food, and transportation for the ancient Chinese. These rivers were the focus of Chinese poetry, art, folklore, and literature.
Known as the “cradle of Chinese civilization,” the Yellow River was home to the first Chinese. The Yellow River is the sixth longest river in the world at 3,395 miles. It is also known as the Huang He River. Small villages were built along the banks of the Yellow River by early Chinese farmers. The rich yellow soil was good for growing millet, a grain. Sheep and cattle were also raised in this area. The Yellow River is sometimes called “China’s Sorrow” due to the terrible floods that have occurred throughout history when its banks overflowed.
The Yangtze River is almost 4,000 miles long and is the third longest in the world. That's longer than the distance from the east coast to the west coast in the United States! The river begins in the mountains of the mid-western side of China and the mouth of the river opens to the East China Sea on the east coast. It runs through a big port city, Shanghai, along the coast. Many towns and cities have developed along the river because it provides water for farms and people. Boats travel the river to bring cargo to and from different cities. You can even go on a cruise boat for vacation along the Yangtze River!
The Himalaya Mountains are located in the south and southwestern China. They are the highest mountains in the world, creating an almost impassable border for ancient China. They kept the Chinese isolated from other ancient civilizations during ancient time. The Himalaya are important to Chinese religion and considered sacred. The melting snow from the Himalayas created the headwaters for China’s most important rivers, the Yellow and Yangtze.
Two of the world’s largest deserts, the Gobi and Taklamakan were located to the north and west of ancient China. Along with the Himalayan mountains, these deserts provided a barrier to isolate the ancient Chinese from others. The Mongols lived in the Gobi desert though and frequently raided northern Chinese cities. The Great Wall of China was built to protect the ancient Chinese from these invaders. The Gobi and Taklamakan were almost complete opposites of one another. The Taklamakan was much smaller than the Gobi, but it was given the nickname “Sea of Death” due to its extreme temperatures and poisonous snakes. The Gobi Desert, the fifth largest desert in the world, is cold with sharp temperature differences. The temperature could change 60 degrees in less than 24 hours. Frost and snow could be found in the sand and gravel dunes of the Gobi. Early settlers survived in these deserts by finding oases deep within the desert that provided great places for growing crops, raising animals, and building mud-brick homes. The Silk Road, a major trade route, traveled through both deserts.
China, the gateway to East Asia, is a fascinating country. It is an ancient civilization that gave the world Peking Man, gunpowder and noodles. Visitors making their first trip to China usually stick to the larger cities. More experienced visitors to the Middle Kingdom will strike out in other directions, where traveling may be a bit more frustrating because of the language barrier, but most definitely doable for independent travelers. Here’s a look at some places to visit in China