Northern China or North China (simplified Chinese: 华北; traditional Chinese: 華北; pinyin: Huáběi; literally "China's north") is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain, or the Yellow River Plain.
The vast region in China in the Yellow River Valley and north to the Yangtze River was the centre of Chinese empires, and home to Confucian civilization. In prehistoy and early history, the plain (Henan in particular) is considered the origin of Chinese civilization in official Chinese history. The region cultivated wheat, and most speak Mandarin as their dialects, a language that today being established as the de facto language of the People's Republic of China. The region remains the political, military, and cultural center of the PRC to this day.
Read more about North China: History, Administrative Divisions in The PRC
Famous quotes containing the words north and/or china:
“So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else available. Western civilization not only provides a bit of life, a pinch of liberty and the occasional pursuance of happiness, it’s also the only thing that’s ever tried to. Our civilization is the first in history to show even the slightest concern for average, undistinguished, none-too-commendable people like us.”
—P.J. (Patrick Jake)
“In a country where misery and want were the foundation of the social structure, famine was periodic, death from starvation common, disease pervasive, thievery normal, and graft and corruption taken for granted, the elimination of these conditions in Communist China is so striking that negative aspects of the new rule fade in relative importance.”
—Barbara Tuchman (1912–1989)