In China, the Yellow Earth usually refers to the loess plateau in the country's northern part. The plateau is acknowledged as the birthplace of the Chinese nationality. The Tomb of Emperor Huang, Said to be the ancestor of the Chinese people, still locates on the northern Shaanxi province. The name of the Yellow River is also originated from the Yellow Earth. Accordingly, the Yellow Earth is considered by many the synonym of China.
Geographically, the loess plateau is situated in the central part of North China with an area of thou sands of square kilometers and its altitude averaging 800 till 1,200 meters above the sea level. The place is one of China's driest regions partially owing to the overcultivation and soil eresión. For the past centuries, people in the region developed a special cave dwelling, or Yao Dong. They dig vertically at the sunny slope of the hills till they finally finish an arch - roofed cave.
The poor transport means and inaccessibility to information solidifies the evolution of productive methods and people's lifestyles. Farmers in the region still cultivate lands with manual powers and the harvest relies heavily on unpredictable climate. The most grandeur sacrificial ritual in the plateau is the rain - praying ceremony. Every year before the spring plantation, farmers throng atop hills to offer sacrifices for the Dragon King, the legendary rain god, for favorable climate and bumper harvest in the coming year.
The most cheerful occasion for the poor peasants there, as in other parts of China, is the Spring Festi-val. Every Spring Festival, every household would ardently decorate its home and put exquisite paper— cuttings on windows. Farmers in colorful or grotesque costumes organize their own parades to neighboring villages for exchanging new year greetings. The carnival forms a sharp contrast with the stable, lonely and hardship routine life in the Yellow Earth in most of the year. The Chinese history seems solidify in the region for the lifestyle remains unchanged for several thousands of years in the plateau.
The reform and opening — up drive in recent years also shed light on the lives of the people in the plateau. Part of the families, though still live in the caves, now have radios or TVs. The outside world is not totally alien for them. However, most of them still confine themselves in the Yellow Earth. Inside the plateau, besides the countless untold have been told. stories about an ancient civilization, some new tales about new lives..
徐勇 Xu Yong 1996年7月
A Precious gem of " Inside the Yellow Earth " Postcards by Xu Yong. i will be forever grateful to have this postcards set in my collection.
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