China is continental in winter and maritime in summer. During winter the cold continental air is responsible for exceptionally cold winters in the north.
North of 32°N temperature is below freezing. The interior basins are warmer than the coast. Winter snowfall persists in the north. During summer, the monsoons bring rainfall to the south and south eastern parts. Typhoons are common. The 100 cm isohyet runs along the Yangtze valley.
Climatically, China has following type of climate-north China type (-10° C temperature, less than 5 months growing season); central China type (0° to 28°C, summer rain, 100-150 cms of rain, 10 months growing season), south China type, (subtropical monsoon, January temperature is above 10°C, rainfall above 200 cms, 11 months growing season), Manchurain type (temperature below 0°C for 5 months), and plateau type (Yunnan type temperature 14°-18°C; 75-100 cm rainfall modified subtropical monsoon. Tibetan temperature -11°C to 7°C; less than 10 cm rainfall; Mongolian semiarid, arid desert).
In the eastern half of China humidity decreases towards the north west. This region is dominated by summer monsoon. South east of China receives the maximum rainfall. Interior regions of China both north and south are extremely hot and cold. Eastern China too is very cold during winter and hot during summer. Only the southern most part of China does not feel rigorous winter. Alluvial soils provide good crops with good precipitation in the basins of three important rivers already mentioned. Northern China has continental climate and Eastern China has humid climate, but here too south east and North east China differ climatically
Agriculture
Rice is grown wherever environmental conditions permit. In the south east, where frost is uncommon, double cropping of rice is the usual pattern. The alluvial valleys and basins of the south east is the double cropping and densely populated region. Dry cereals, wheat, millet and kaoliang tend to dominate in cooler, drier north. Cotton is the cash crop here. Sugarcane, tea and Tung are the cash crops of the south. Chinese agriculture is the transition from wet rice from the south to dry cereals north of Qinlin divides.
In recent years, the land reclamation, better land management, improved irrigation, increased dry cropping, use of chemical fertilizers and hybrid grains and the application of insecticides are adopted by socializing agriculture through state farms and communes.
The agricultural or crop regions of China are as follows:
1) North east: soyabeans and coarse grains;
2) North west: spring wheat;
3) Loess plateaus: winter wheat, millet and corn;
4) North China: winter wheat, kaoliang, corn and cotton;
5) Yangtze: winter wheat, millet;
6) Szechwan (red basin): rice;
7) South western plateau: rice;
8) Southern: rice, tea and Tung and
9) South-eastern: double crop rice region.
Despite increased crop production China imports wheat from Australia, Canada and United States of America. At the same time China exports a considerable amount of high cost foodstuffs (vegetable, pork condiments and specialty foods) to Hong Kong, S.E. Asia and Chinese communities all over the world.
The major problem of agriculture in China today is that very little good land is available for agricultural expansion. Only dry or marshy, lands are left. If agriculture is to continue, financial development and living levels are to be raised; it is imperative that per unit yields has to be increased rapidly. Another problems is the urbanization. As cities grew, good agricultural land is lost to urban land users. The cultivation in small family plots is once again encouraged. Vegetable production and swine production are resumed. Today there is enough food for everyone. Still the problems of agriculture with the growing population pose the problems for the Chinese planners.
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