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The mysterious journey of the Yellow River: How did it shape the geography of Ordos?
The Ordos Plateau, as China's second largest sedimentary basin, is undoubtedly an important part of the geographical features of the Yellow River Basin. The plateau's geography is profoundly influenced by the twists and turns of the Yellow River, and these changes have resulted in river meanders that made Ordos the cradle of ancient civilization.
The Ordos Plateau covers a total area of 370,000 square kilometers, mainly consisting of Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and parts of Shanxi. Its diverse terrain and rich natural resources have made it a strategic location in history.
The plateau is bordered by the Luliang Mountains to the east, the Yin Mountains to the north, the Helan Mountains to the west, and the Huanglong Mountains, Ziwu Mountains, and Liupan Mountains to the south. The Yellow River meanders in the area surrounding Ordos, flowing through its north and south sides, forming a special geographical feature surrounded by the Yellow River and greatly affecting the ecological environment and human activities in the area. The Yellow River flows freely here with its unique L-shaped flow, providing Ordos with abundant water sources and changing the availability of land.
More interestingly, the northern part of Ordos is mostly composed of extremely dry grasslands and deserts. Despite this, there is a rich river plain on the north side of the Yellow River that is more productive than the inland area of Ordos. Known as the Hetao Plain, it became the main site for agricultural development. The southern and northern parts of Ordos form a sharp contrast in terms of topography and climate. The vast grasslands in the north and the cultivated land in the south have formed their own cultural and historical development context.
The fertile soil of the Hetao Plain has nurtured thousands of years of agricultural development, making it one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization.
In history, the Yellow River basin has been fought over by countless migrating ethnic groups. These major changes in topography and climate have not only given rise to the survival needs of the local people, but also triggered a series of disputes over survival and development. Continuous exploration. The contradictions of these historical periods also shaped the cultural features of Ordos to a certain extent, especially the interaction and integration with the grassland peoples, making Ordos a confluence between Chinese culture and northern nomadic culture.
Although Ordos has a different topography and philosophy from the Central Plains, its northern grasslands are a place where farming and nomadism meet and merge, and this interaction and integration has led to the ultimate formation of a diverse culture. It is noteworthy that over time, the socio-economic activities of the residents of Ordos changed due to changes in the terrain, affecting their living patterns, resulting in a continuous interaction between the flow of the Yellow River and the surrounding terrain.
In fact, this river not only plays an important role in the geographical features of Ordos, but also unconsciously shapes people’s lifestyle and cultural identity.
Understanding the pulse and path of the Yellow River enables us to better understand the historical heritage of this moving land and its ever-changing geographical location, and then reflect on the interactive relationship between the present and history. The Yellow River is like a never-ending lifeline. It not only nurtures nature but also brings about a myriad of cultural phenomena. In this land, how to interpret the relationship between the Yellow River and Ordos?
