Physiographic macroregions of China
Physiographic macroregions of China is a term suggested by an American anthropologist G. William Skinner as a subdivision of China Proper into nine areas according to the drainage basins of the major rivers and other travel-constraining geomorphological features. They are distinct in terms of environment, economic resources, culture and more or less interdependent histories with often unsynchronized developmental macrocycles.[1] They were described in Skinner's landmark essays in The City in Late Imperial China.[2]
19th century
[edit]Skinner and his school maintain that prior to modernization, transportation was largely constrained by terrain and the physiographic macroregions are a close approximation for the socioeconomic macroregions of 19th-century China. The macroregions are defined by Skinner as follows:[3]
- 10 Northeast China, 东北区
- 20 North China, 华北区
- 30 Northwest China 西北区
- Wei-Fen Basins 渭汾流域分区
- Upper Yellow River Basin 黄河上游分区
- Gansu Corridor 河西(甘肃)走廊分区
- 40 Upper Yangtze 长江上游区
- 50 Middle Yangtze 长江中游区
- 60 Lower Yangtze 长江下游区
- 70 Southeast Coast 东南沿海区 (approximately Fujian, eastern part of Guangdong, southern part of Zhejiang, and Taiwan)
- Ou-Ling River Basins 瓯灵流域分区
- Min River Basin 闽江流域分区
- Zhang-Quan 漳泉分区 (Zhangzhou plus Quanzhou)
- Han Basin 韩江流域分区
- Taiwan 台湾分区
- 80 Lingnan 岭南区, which may be translated as "South of Mountains". It includes the Southern coast and nearly coincides with the two entities: province of Guangdong and Guangxi autonomous region, together traditionally called "Two Guang provinces", or Liangguang.[4]
- 90 Yungui 云贵区; covers most of Yunnan Province and larger part of Guizhou Province and corresponds to the Yungui Plateau.
Modern provinces of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai and a larger part of Inner Mongolia are not considered by Skinner's scheme.
20th century
[edit]According to Skinner's analysis, the 20th century China excluding Inner Asia has 9 socioeconomic macroregions with cores not changed from the physiographic ones of the 19th century, but with changed territorial extents.[3]
See also
[edit]- Regions of China
- Administrative divisions of China
- Geography of China#History
- Regional Religious System - an approach to the study of Chinese religion based on Skinner's research
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Needham, Joseph; Bray, Francesca; Huang Hsing-Tsung; Daniels, Christian; Menzies, Nicholas K. (1984). Science and Civilisation in China. ISBN 0-521-63262-5.
- ^ Skinner, G. William, ed. (1977), The City in Late Imperial China, Stanford University Press
- ^ a b Skinner, G. William; Henderson, Mark; Yue, Zumou, A note regarding the Physiographic and Socioeconomic Macroregions of China
- ^ Marks, Robert (1997). Tigers, Rice, Silk, and Silt: Environment and Economy in Late Imperial South China. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-59177-5.