G u i d e
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R e a d i n g
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Section 2
Part 2:
Inner China was more attractive to early settlers
because its two major regions, the North China
Plain and the Chang Jiang Basins, contained rivers
and flatter lands more suitable for farming. Outer
China had harsh climates and extreme landforms,
such as the Himalayas and the Northwestern
Deserts.
1. Information about how geography affected
the first people to live in China may include:
Archaeologists believe that the first inhabitants
of China lived in caves in northeastern China
500,000 years ago. Peking or Beijing man used
local resources to live; for food these people
hunted local animals, gathered plants, and
fished. They also may have made tools from
natural materials they found.
Sections 3–7
Answers will vary but may include the following
adjectives or phrases:
3 The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau: high, cold, large area,
rocky, dry, sparse vegetation
2. Students should draw in and label the Huang
He and color the North China Plain yellow.
Section 9
4 The Northwestern Deserts: extreme temperatures, dangerous, sandy, dry, empty, large area,
stony, sparse vegetation
Part 1:
5 The Northeastern Plain: grassland, low hills and
plains, shallow and deep rivers, varied climates,
cold and dry
Reasons that support this hypothesis will vary but
may include these:
6 The North China Plain: flat, grassland, range
of temperatures, yellow silt, muddy river, floods,
fertile
7 The Chang Jiang Basins: low coastal plains, long
river, fertile, warm and wet
Section 8
Part 1:
Most early people settled on the North China Plain
because of its geography.
Reasons that support this hypothesis will vary but
may include these:
1. The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau and Northeastern
Plain were too cold and dry for agriculture.
2. The Northwestern Deserts were too dry for
agriculture, but the Chang Jiang Basins may
have been too wet for farming and covered
with rainforests.
3. The North China Plain was ideal because it had
water, fertile soil, and a moderate climate.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
China was isolated from other civilizations because
of its geography.
1. The high Tibet-Qinghai Plateau made it difficult to communicate with civilizations to the
southwest of China.
2. The dry Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts made it
difficult to communicate with civilizations to
the northwest of China.
3. Most of the rest of China is bordered by water
(but remind students that this will eventually
lead to increased contact with other civilizations).
Part 2:
1. Students might add the following information
not covered in Part 1: there is only a narrow
coastal plain linking the Northeastern Plain
to Inner China; the mountains and deserts
formed natural barriers that restricted contact.
2. Students should color the Tibet-Qinghai
Plateau, the Taklimakan Desert, and the Gobi Desert.
Geography and the Early Settlement of China 1
G u i d e
t o
R e a d i n g
N o t e s
1 9
Section 10
Part 1:
Because of geography, several ways of life developed
in China.
Reasons that support this hypothesis will vary but
may include these:
1. In cold and dry areas like the Tibet-Qinghai
Plateau and the Northeastern Plain, people
needed to wear warm clothing and to raise
animals for food.
2. In areas like the North China Plain, with good
soil and water for irrigation, people grew crops,
raised animals, and settled into permanent
towns.
3. In areas like the Chang Jiang Basins, with lots
of rain, people could grow rice.
Part 2
1. Students might add the following information
not covered in Part 1: the people on the TibetQinghai Plateau moved frequently to find
grazing land for their livestock, especially
yaks, which not only provided food but also
wool and hair to make clothing and shelter;
in the Northwestern Deserts, people lived
near the oases and built houses of mud; in the
Northeastern Plain, nomads raised animals
and lived mostly in tents; on the North China
Plain, people grew grains, raised animals, and
built permanent homes of mud; in the Chang
Jiang Basins, people raised pigs and poultry
and built permanent shelters.
2. Drawings will vary but should include one
type of food, shelter, or economic activity
appropriate for each region.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
Geography and the Early Settlement of China 2