Special Column:Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of IGSNRR, CAS

DECLINE OF PRE HISTORICAL AGRICULTURE AND FORMATION OF FARMING GRAZING TRANSITIONAL ZONE IN NORTH CHINA:A VIEW FROM CLIMATIC CHANGES

Expand
  • Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875

Received date: 1998-08-06

  Revised date: 1998-11-13

  Online published: 1999-09-25

Abstract

The farming grazing transitional zone of northern China had once been a region where the primitive agricultural culture was developed and flourished.The agricultural culture declined and changed to the pastoral culture during cal.4300~3500aBP.After than,the so called farming grazing transitional zone formed,and the relative strength of the agricultural culture and pastoral culture has changed in the course of history in the region.The process of culture changes mentioned above was strongly impacted by the climatic changes.The primitive agriculture developed in the Holocene Megathermal Period when temperature was 2~3℃ higher in a maximum,and annual precipitation was about 100mm more than the present.The decline of agricultural culture and the rise of pastoral culture happened at the termination of the Holocene Megathermal Period when both temperature and precipitation dropped,which induced inadequate thermal and water resources for agricultural production. The formation of farming grazing zone during the last 3500 years convinced with the modern climate system.The time and the possible cause of the decline of primitive culture in farming grazing transitional zone of northern China is comparable with the decline of the ancient cultures in India,Babylon,and Egypt,which implies some inner interrelationship in climatic changes in the above regions.

Cite this article

FANG Xiu qi . DECLINE OF PRE HISTORICAL AGRICULTURE AND FORMATION OF FARMING GRAZING TRANSITIONAL ZONE IN NORTH CHINA:A VIEW FROM CLIMATIC CHANGES[J]. JOURNAL OF NATURAL RESOURCES, 1999 , 14(3) : 212 -218 . DOI: 10.11849/zrzyxb.1999.03.004

Outlines

/