So, while we are waiting on our TA (which is rumored to come in tomorrow), I thought I would share what I am learning about Esther's province. First of all, Guangxi is not a province...it is an Autonomous Region...I think this is because of the ethnic minority that live in this region. It became an Autonomous Region in 1958 and is still one of China's least developed regions. The landscape there is mountainous and contains weathered limestone called Karst. Because of the limestone, it contains some of China's largest cave systems. The region has huge rainfall. (Can we say monsoon? It will be monsoon season when we are there...yikes!) It also contains very poor soil. Despite this, over 80% of the people in the region are laborers in agriculture.
Depicted above are the terraced rice patty fields that are typical of the mountainous terrain of the region. The terracing allows for the best usage of land and water containment for growing rice. Below is an example of Karst topography. These are weathered limestone formations that become exposed after geologic time frames of erosion and uplift. This particular picture also shows a rice patty field with karst in the background. We are planning on seeing some of the famous karst while we are in Guangxi.
Stay tuned next time to find out about the ethnic people in the region...
1 comment:
I have seen many pictures of the rice patties like the one in your blog. They are so beautiful. You are so lucky to be going out into the countryside on your trip. We stayed in the city the whole time we were in China. I am praying that you get your TA soon! You must be so excited! Blessings, Christy
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