World Soil Day | Witnessing thousands of years of history, how does the loess carry the memory of civilization?

China has a long history and splendid civilization. On this ancient land, the loess is like an epic story, witnessing the vicissitudes of thousands of years and carrying the memory of the Chinese land. The loess in the five-colored soil of the Sheji Altar is like a symbol of the Yellow Emperor's rule over the world, assisted by the earth god who controls the four directions.

Loess, also known as yellow soil, is a unique soil distributed in northern China, such as the Loess Plateau, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and other regions. Its formation is the result of the combined effects of climate, geology, vegetation and other factors, like a symphony of nature. After a long period of weathering and erosion, rock minerals gradually decomposed to form granular loess, like a chapter in the history of the earth. The soil of the Loess Plateau is golden yellow, as if it is the gold reserve of the earth. It contains rich calcium or loess nodules, which makes the soil alkaline, like the bones of the earth. Loess has rich pores and loose soil, and this evolution process has witnessed the long years of the earth. These pores and loose soil have undergone millions of years of evolution, and also witnessed the evolution of the earth.

Jingning, Gansu: Busy construction of high-standard farmland on the Loess Plateau (Photo by Wang Yi, Guangming Photo)

Loess is widely distributed in the dry mid-latitude zones around the world, forming a loess territory of about 13 million square kilometers. Among them, China's Loess Plateau is the largest and most typical area, standing tall like the backbone of the Chinese land. The Loess Plateau is famous for its unique yellow color and steep gully landforms. This land is not only rich in minerals, but also carries China's thousands of years of agricultural civilization. The Loess Plateau is like a magnificent yellow giant array, extending from the eastern end of the Qilian Mountains in Gansu in the west to the junction of Shanxi, Henan and Hebei in the Taihang Mountains in the east, from the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi in the south to the Great Wall in the north, spanning more than 220 counties and cities in five provinces and regions including Shaanxi, Shanxi, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai, all in golden color. And the location in the center of the plateau is a metaphor for "all under heaven is the king's land."

The Loess Plateau is located in the central hinterland of China and has a profound cultural heritage. It has witnessed the ancient agricultural civilization and has also nurtured the rise and fall of many ancient kingdoms. On this land, there are a large number of historical and cultural relics, such as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang in Shaanxi and the Mogao Grottoes in Gansu, which are all outstanding representatives of the Loess culture. These ancient wisdom and civilizations have provided a rich historical heritage for future generations.

The loess land is an ideal agricultural land due to its fertility. However, it is also plagued by natural factors, such as soil erosion and drought. Long-term over-exploitation and irrational use have led to these problems. In order to improve the ecological environment of the loess land, the government and all sectors of society have taken a series of ecological protection measures, such as afforestation, soil and water conservation projects, etc., to rebuild the natural ecosystem of the loess land.

In recent years, with the continuous development of scientific and technological means, a number of projects to manage and protect the loess land have been launched to protect the ecological balance and sustainable development of this ancient land. While facing increasingly severe environmental challenges, China is also actively exploring the path of sustainable use of the loess land[4]. Through scientific planting, ecological restoration and other means, the sustainable development of the loess land can be achieved and this ancient land with endless vitality can be protected.

China's loess land is a legendary land, carrying a long history and profound culture. In the process of inheritance and development, we need to pay more attention to the protection and sustainable use of the loess land to ensure that this land can continue to inject vitality and vigor into the Chinese land.

References:

Zhu Xianmo, Ren Mei'e. The formation process and control strategies of China's Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Chinese Historical Geography, 1991(4):14.DOI:CNKI:SUN:ZGLD.0.1991-04-000.

Wu Wen. The Yellow Land That Never Hardens: On the Qinlong Culture[M]. People's Publishing House, 1995.

Jiang Dingsheng. Soil and water loss and control model in the Loess Plateau[M]. China Water Resources and Hydropower Press, 1997.

Wu Liangjie, Bo Jingshan, Peng Da. Research on the original terrain restoration method of ancient/old landslides caused by loess earthquakes[J]. Chinese Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 2023, 45(2):329-337.

Scientific review: Kuang Zongren (Associate Professor, College of Humanities and Development, China Agricultural University)

Author: Liu Siman (Undergraduate student of College of Humanities and Development, China Agricultural University)

Planning: Zhan Zhao, Wu Yuetong