Guizhou

Relief

Guizhou is part of an old eroded plateau, variously known as the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau or Yungui Plateau, which connects with plateau areas in Yunnan. Situated between the Plateau of Tibet and the hilly regions of Hunan and Guangxi, the plateau forms part of a continuously ascending profile of the southwest, its altitude increasing from about 2,300 feet (700 meters) in eastern Guizhou to about 6,600 feet (2,000 meters) in the west. The Sichuan Basin to the north and the Guangxi Basin to the south are both the results of faulting. The entire terrain of Guizhou thus slopes at a steep angle from the center toward the north, east, and south. In areas adjacent to Sichuan and Hunan in the north and east, the elevation is about 2,300 feet, while the province’s southern slopes descend some 1,600 to 2,000 feet (500 to 600 meters) into Guangxi. Accordingly, rivers in the province flow in three directions, north, east, and south.

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The plateau, which is composed mostly of limestone and basalt, has undergone complicated and extensive folding, faulting, and stream erosion and consequently has abrupt relief, an example of which is the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall near Anshun in the southwest. Incised valleys, steep gorges, and cliffs are common. In the limestone areas the characteristic landscape consists of karst formations (i.e., precipitous slopes, abrupt, protuberant mountains, caverns, and subterranean streams). Only the upfolded and downfolded stratified rock layers of the plateau in central Guizhou are broad and relatively flat.

Drainage and soils

Most of the rivers in Guizhou are the upper streams of large rivers, such as the Yangtze and the Xi. Much of the province is drained by streams of the Wu River system. The abrupt change of gradient, the great fluctuation in the flow volumes, and the many rapids and reefs make them unsuitable for navigation, though they have enormous hydroelectric power potential.

Because of the high humidity, a yellow soil with a yellowish brown subsoil originated from sandstone, shale, and clay constitutes the largest area in the province. In the limestone area in the south there are broad areas of red soil. In the west the red soils are originated from basalt and sandstone and developed under a relatively drier climate.

Climate

Guizhou enjoys a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters. Guiyang has a mean July temperature of about 76 °F (24 °C), lower than that of all other cities to the east on the same latitude. This is due to its high altitude and the cloudiness of the summer months. In winter, cold air from Siberia cannot easily reach Guizhou because of the barrier effect of the Qin (Tsinling) Mountains to the north of the Sichuan Basin. In spite of its high elevation, Guizhou thus has few snowy days and even fewer freezing days. The mean January temperature at Guiyang is about 41 °F (5 °C).

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Rainfall is fairly uniform and plentiful, with an annual average of 35 to 60 inches (900 to 1,500 mm), decreasing toward the north and west. The southern and eastern parts of Guizhou are open to the influence of the moist maritime air mass in summer. For the same reason, there is a summer maximum in rainfall, averaging nearly half of the annual total. About one-fourth falls in spring and the remainder in autumn. Typically, the province has high relative humidity, lengthy cloudy and rainy days, and little sunshine. The capital, Guiyang, has more than 260 rainy and cloudy days in an average year. Most of the precipitation results from atmospheric frontal activity, though some is a result of convection or condensation.

Plant and animal life

Because of the steep gradient and the exposure of limestone, wasteland accounts for nearly half of the total area. Yet part of the province’s natural wealth lies in its forests. The plateau surface is mostly dry and barren, but the peripheral valleys have rich and valuable woodlands. About one-tenth of the land area is under natural forest. There are four main forested areas: the drainage basins of the Qingshui River in the east, the Duliu River in the southeast, the Nanpan and Beipan rivers in the southwest, and the Dalou Mountains in the north.

Guizhou has more than 3,860 species of wild plants, among which are several that are highly valued herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. Notable are the tubers of Gastrodia elata, the bark of the elmlike Eucommia ulmoides, the roots of Coptis chinensis (Chinese goldthread) and Astragalus membranaceus (milk vetch), and the fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa (Evodia fruit). Collectively, these are known as the five famous herbs of Chinese medicine.

The forests of the northern valleys, still among the most important in China, consist chiefly of conifers and other trees, such as the tung tree, lacquer tree, camellia, birch, maple, pine, and fir. Forests in the southeast produce camphor, banyan tree, and other broad-leaved varieties. Trees of the southern subtropical valleys typically include willow, cedar, bamboo, and various species of pine and fir. Oak, Yunnan pine, Huashan pine, and camphor are grown in the west near Yunnan. Cedar, cypress, poplar, and palm trees are also found in the province.

In addition to domesticated animals, such as buffalo, horses, donkeys, asses, and pigs, the province has more than 1,000 species of wild animals, some three dozen of which are rare or endangered. Notable mammals include leopards, otters, foxes, badgers, tigers, and squirrels. In most of the larger rivers carp and other fish are abundant.