An immense land, China is approximately the same size as the United States. Yet it is home to more than four times as many people as live within U.S. borders--and the population is concentrated in the eastern half of the country because much of the west consists of rugged mountains and inhospitable desert. The Geography of China presents a wealth of information on such topics as topography, climate, natural resources, regions, cities, and environmental issues. It will be a valuable resource for students of this emerging nation.

Despite China's clear and growing importance on the world stage, it remains often and easily misunderstood. Indeed, there are many Chinas, as this comprehensive survey, the most current and authoritative introduction available, vividly illustrates. Now in a thoroughly revised and updated edition, this text traces the changes occurring in this powerful and ancient nation across both time and space. Beginning with China's diverse landscapes and environments, and continuing through its formative history and tumultuous recent past, the authors show contemporary China as a product of both internal and external forces. They consider historical and current successes and difficulties, including economic, political, cultural, and environmental challenges, while placing China in its international context as a massive, developing, diverse nation that is meeting the needs of its 1.4 billion citizens while becoming an aggressive major regional and global player. Through clear prose and 160 insightful maps, tables, and photos, China's Geography illustrates and explains the great economic, political, and social differences found throughout China's many regions. Accompanying the book is a companion website that provides a wealth of additional materials, including sample lectures, color versions of all the graphics, time series and provincial data files for student projects in Excel, lists of favorite films and websites, and public domain maps for student use.

The Chinese earth is pervasively humanized through long occupation. Signs of man's presence vary from the obvious to the extremely subtle. The building of roads, bridges, dams, and factories, and the consolidation of farm holdings alter the Chinese landscape and these alterations seem all the more conspicuous because they introduce features that are not distinctively Chinese. In contrast, traditional forms and architectural relics escape our attention because they are so identified with the Chinese scene that they appear to be almost outgrowths of nature. Describing the natural order of human beings in the context of the Chinese earth and civilization, "A Historical Geography of China" narrates the evolution of the Chinese landscape from prehistoric times to the present.Tuan views landscape as a visible expression of man's efforts to gain a living and achieve a measure of stability in the constant flux of nature. The book ranges the period of time from Peking man to the epoch of Mao Tse-tung. It moves through the ancient and modern dynasties, the warlords and conquests, earthquakes, devastating floods, climatic reversals, and staggering civil wars to the impact of Western civilization and industrialization. The emphasis throughout is on the effect of a changing environment on succeeding cultures.This classic study attempts to analyze and describe traditional Chinese settlement patterns and architecture. The result is a clear and succinct examination of the development of the Chinese landscape over thousands of years. It describes the ways the Communist regime worked to alter the face of the nation. This work will quickly prove to be crucial reading for all who are interested in this pivotal nation. It goes far beyond the usual political spectrum, into the physical and social roots of Chinese history.

China has become a superpower, exerting significant influence globally. This accessible text integrates thematic and regional coverage to provide a panoramic view of China--its physical geography; population, including ethnic diversity; urban development; agriculture and land use; transportation networks; dynamic economic processes; and environmental challenges. Cultural and political geography topics are woven throughout the chapters. The text also offers in-depth assessments of selected regions, capturing the complexity of this vast and populous country. It is richly illustrated with more than 150 maps, tables, figures, and photographs--including 8 pages in full color--which are available as PowerPoint slides at the companion website. Pedagogical Features *Chapter-opening learning objectives. *Chapter-opening key concepts and terms. *Extensive notes pointing students to relevant online resources. *Engaging topic boxes in every chapter.

Despite China's obvious and growing importance on the world stage, it is often and easily misunderstood. Indeed, there are many Chinas, as this comprehensive survey of contemporary China vividly illustrates. Now in a thoroughly revised and updated edition that offers the only sustained geography of the reform era, this book traces the changes occurring in this powerful and ancient nation across both time and space. Beginning with China's diverse landscapes and environments, and continuing through its formative history and tumultuous recent past, the authors present contemporary China as a product of both internal and external forces of past and present. They trace current and future successes and challenges while placing China in its international context as a massive, still-developing nation that must meet the needs of its 1.3 billion citizens while becoming a major regional and global player. Through clear prose and new, dynamic maps and photos, China's Geography illustrates and explains the great differences in economy and culture found throughout China's many regions.

The book is the outcome of a unique venture: a team of Chinese geographers and a team of American geographers collaborated on a new Comparative Geography of China and the United States. The book meets a high demand for comparative information about China and the United States, as the home of the two leading economies in a globalizing world. Comparisons of the two countries include the similarities and differences in their physical environments and natural hazards, the growth and changing spatial distribution of population and ethnic groups in China and the U.S., traditions and contemporary regional expressions of agriculture and food production as well as the rapidly changing urban and industrial patterns in both countries. The book also highlights the two countries’ interconnectedness, in trade and in the exchange of cultural, social, scientific & technological information. The volume serves as a major resource in geographic education as it contributes to a better and more comprehensive understanding of the formation and development of the two countries’ basic geographical patterns and processes.