THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF CHINA 



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rugged mountain country. The soft red sandstone beds which underlie 

 it have therefore been sculptured into a network of valleys with inter- 

 vening red hills or buttes. With a climate as mild and moist as that 

 of Alabama, and a diversified topography, there is opportunity for 

 many industries, and for the cultivation of a great variety of crops. 

 Sze-chuan leads all the provinces in the exportation of silk. Here 

 grow the lacquer and oil nut trees and a wide range of field and garden 

 fruits, grains and vegetables. Ample water for irrigation and espe- 

 cially for rice-culture is supplied by the many perennial streams which 

 descend from the encircling mountains. These uplifted and now 

 mountainous tracts have also served as a barrier to invaders from all 

 directions, so that this has been less subject to wars than almost any 

 other part of China, and hence has been more stable in development. 

 Its inhabitants are among the most substantial and progressive com- 

 ponents of the Chinese nation. 



We now come to the last of the geologic divisions which were laid 

 out for consideration. From the Sze-chuan basin southwest to the 



Fig. 32. One of the great Limestone Gorges through which the 

 Yang-tze-kiang pierces the Central Ranges. 



