March 22nd 10 Alexandra No.

28

China – The Middle Kingdom: Physical Geography

China was once completely isolated from different countries. This was
because many different types of land were protecting China and making it
unable for them to know about other countries on the other side. This is
one of the many things that influenced the development of ancient China.
So what are the others? How do they influence China’s development? What
other things made China so isolated?

To begin with, there are things built purposely for protection such as the
Great Wall of China. It was so big; you could see it from outer space.
Because it was so big, it helped protect China from raids like Mongol,
Turkic and other nomadic tribes. Parts of the wall even contained holes so
the Chinese could launch arrows from the bow through the hole.

Many deserts that surrounded china, such as the Gobi Desert was another
good source of protection. Anyone who would have dared to invade China
by crossing it would have surely died of thirst or the intense heat in the
day and freezing cold at night. It did have a negative side though, and that
is that it made travel in and out of China difficult.

The Himalayas are set in the southwest of China, which gave people who
were trying to discover new land a hard time. It also provided much water
for people who lived in the southwest. It reached rivers and carried it of to
many other parts of China so everyone got their share. Many people
outside of China had seen the Himalayas but wished to see what was
hidden on the other side. It wasn’t until 1600 BC when China was
discovered that people began invading China.

Rivers such as the Yangtze River, Xi River and the yellow river (also known
as China’s sorrow because of the many people it has drowned in the past)
influence the development of China because it gives the land around it rich
soil, which is perfect for planting rice crops. Many towns/villages/cities
are built around rivers for this particular reason and also because it
provides a great amount of water. Also, boats could travel down the river
to trade goods to other places in China. The boats reach other cities using
canals, which join the many rivers.

In conclusion, the impact of isolation can be both positive and negative.

The many positive facts all add up to result in a well-developed land,
which is still running smoothly today and should stay this way. I think it
was a good thing that China was discovered because it has learnt new
ways of living and communicated with many different countries. It also has
a negative side because the contact also led to war.