Name: Maximillian M.

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NIM: 00000019960
Class: English 2 - N

The Yellow River Civilization

The Yellow River is a river that flows through Central China. It is the second longest river in Asia,
stretching over 5,464 km long. It was called the ‘Yellow River’ because of the river water containing
high amount of soil. However, the river is a subject to violent unpredictable floods during the
monsoon season and consequently, ravage any surrounding landscape. The Yellow river is
surrounded by mountains and deserts, as the River itself originated from the Bayan Har Mountains.
Since the river had experienced re-occurrence of floods, it gave rise in creating excellent farmland.
The local population however, developed irrigation to expand the farmland even further. The main
crops that was planted in these fields consisted mostly of wheat and barley. It should also be noted
that the people that lived in the rivers had also domesticated livestock for food. As a result of these
fertile grounds, the area surrounding the Yellow River was the most prosperous region of China at
the time. Consequently, there was not much trade with outside regions.
The River has also been dubbed as the “cradle of Chinese civilization”, as most of early Chinese
history originated from here. The civilization had a long history that spanned across 4000 years ago.
The first dynasty of the Chinese civilization, the Qin dynasty had later on united different ethnic
groups along the river. The dynasty was ruled by an emperor, whom also created the first
bureaucracy that consisted of advisors, administrators, and the military.
Thanks to these fertile grounds, the civilization had developed advanced technology. These
revolutionary inventions at that time were among the following; Pottery, boats, discovery of silk, and
also the use of bronze metal. These civilization however, would later brought forth new inventions
such as fireworks and their own form of paper. However, due to the geographical divide in the
region, it isolated them from the world outside of China. Because of this, the Chinese saw themselves
as the center of the world. This line of thought is reflected by their own language, as “China” means
“The Middle Kingdom”.
The impact of the Yellow River to the Chinese civilization is tremendous to their advancement. This
advancement have also made the Chinese a leader of technological progress in the past. The Yellow
River was undoubtedly influential in building the Chinese civilization.

Source:
Boyle, Mike, and Lindsay Warwick. Skillful Reading & Writing: 4: Students Book Pack. Macmillan,
2017.
Zhou, Ruru. Yellow River Civilization - China's Cradle and Early Capitals., 21 June 2017,
www.chinahighlights.com/yellowriver/civilization.htm.