Journal of Geographical Sciences >
Process and proposal for comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography
Author: Fang Chuanglin (1966-), PhD and Professor, specialized in urban geography, urban agglomeration and the resource and environmental effects of urbanization. E-mail: fangcl@igsnrr.ac.cn
Received date: 2017-01-07
Accepted date: 2017-03-10
Online published: 2017-09-06
Supported by
Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41590840, No.41590842
Copyright
The comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography is based on the rules governing regional differentiation of Chinese physical geographic factors. Based on regional differences and similarities in human factors, this study divides the whole country into two levels of relatively independent, complete and organically linked human geographic units. As a fundamental, comprehensive, cutting-edge, practical and important task, the comprehensive regionalization of human geography highlights the characteristics, regional and sub-regional features, complexity and variety of spatial differences between factors of Chinese human geography. It is capable of promoting the development of human geography based on local conditions, providing basic scientific support to national and local development strategies, such as the Belt and Road Strategy, new urbanization and environmental awareness, and creating a sound geopolitical environment in key areas. Using results from existing physical and human geographic zoning studies, and in accordance with the principles of synthesis, dominant factors, the relative consistency of the natural environment, the relative consistency of social and economic development, the consistency of the regional cultural landscape, the continuity of spatial distribution and the integrity of county-level administrative divisions, and taking as its basis the division of human geography into 10 major factors (nature, economy, population, culture, ethnicity, agriculture, transportation, urbanization, the settlement landscape and administrative divisions), this paper constructs an index system for the comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography through a combination of top-down and bottom-up zoning and spatial clustering analysis. In this study, Chinese human geography is divided into eight regions and 66 sub-regions. The eight human geography regions are (I) Northeast China, (II) North China, (III) East China, (IV) Central China, (V) South China, (VI) Northwest China, (VII) Southwest China, and (VIII) Qinghai and Tibet. This zoning proposal fills gaps in studies involving the non-comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography. Each human geography region and sub-region has different topographical, climatic, ecological, population, urbanization, economic development, settlement landscape, regional cultural and ethno-religious attributes. This proposal on the comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography dovetails closely with previous studies on comprehensive regionalization in Chinese physical geography, Chinese economic zoning, and Chinese agricultural zoning. It shows that, under the dual roles of nature and humans, there are certain rules of regional differentiation that govern the comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography.
FANG Chuanglin , LIU Haimeng , LUO Kui , YU Xiaohua . Process and proposal for comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2017 , 27(10) : 1155 -1168 . DOI: 10.1007/s11442-017-1428-y
Table 1 Quantitative index system and weight coefficients |
Factor classification | Layer indicator | Layer weight coefficient | Factor weight coefficient |
---|---|---|---|
Natural condition | Altitude (m) | 0.06 | 0.17 |
Aridity | 0.07 | ||
≥10℃ accumulated temperature | 0.04 | ||
Population | Resident population (10,000) | 0.08 | 0.18 |
Population density (people/km2) | 0.10 | ||
Economic indicator | Per capita GDP (RMB) | 0.11 | 0.30 |
Economic density (RMB 10,000/km2) | 0.07 | ||
Industrial structure ratio (excl. agriculture) (%) | 0.12 | ||
Cultural factor | Average years of education (years) | 0.11 | 0.19 |
Minority population proportion (%) | 0.08 | ||
Transport | Road network density index | 0.08 | 0.08 |
Urbanization | Level of urbanization (%) | 0.08 | 0.08 |
Total | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Figure 1 Visualization of factor layer overlay for comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography |
Table 2 Administrative scopes and basic profiles of Chinese human geography regions |
Region No. | Name of Human Geography Region | Administrative divisions included in scope | Area (10,000 s km²) | Resident population (10,000s) | Per capita GDP (RMB 10,000/ person) | Industrial structure ratio (excl. agriculture) (%) | Level of urbanization (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ⅰ | Northeast China | Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jilin, eastern Inner Mongolia | 142.77 | 11873.59 | 6.15 | 90.23 | 57.33 |
Ⅱ | North China | Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, northern and central Shandong, central Inner Mongolia | 69.75 | 23476.27 | 6.48 | 93.91 | 52.52 |
Ⅲ | East China | Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, southern Shandong | 37.38 | 23803.07 | 7.46 | 95.16 | 57.00 |
Ⅳ | Central China | Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, central and eastern Henan, southern Guizhou, southeast Chongqing | 74.98 | 25757.72 | 4.08 | 89.49 | 42.56 |
Ⅴ | South China | Fujian, Guangzhou, Taiwan, Hainan, eastern and western Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau SARs | 71.14 | 22431.98 | 9.71 | 95.76 | 60.34 |
Ⅵ | Northwest China | Shaanxi, Ningxia, Xinjiang, central and northern Gansu, western Inner Mongolia, northeast Qinghai, western Henan | 288.25 | 10120.29 | 4.30 | 90.53 | 44.18 |
Ⅶ | Southwest China | Yunnan, eastern Sichuan, southwest and northern Chongqing, western Guizhou | 91.39 | 19762.58 | 3.40 | 88.61 | 40.24 |
Ⅷ | Qinghai and Tibet | Tibet, central and western Qinghai, western Sichuan, southern Gansu | 256.99 | 964.19 | 2.33 | 84.40 | 24.65 |
Figure 2 Comprehensive regionalization index results from the weighted overlay of Chinese human geographic factors |
Figure 3 Comprehensive regionalization of Chinese human geography |
Table 3 Chinese human geography regions and sub-regions |
Name of human geography region (first-level) | Name of human geography sub-regions (second-level) | Number of sub-regions |
---|---|---|
Northeast China (I) | Daxing'anling (I1), Songnen Plain (I2), Sanjiang Plain (I3), Hulun Buir Grassland (I4), Western Liaoning (I5), Liaoning Central and Southern Cities (I6), Liaodong Hills (I7), Changbai Mountains (I8), Eastern Inner Mongolia Plateau (I9) | 9 |
North China (II) | Beijing-Tianjin (II1), Hebei Northeast Mountains (II2), West Beijing and Yanshan Mountains (II3), Central Inner Mongolia Plateau (II4), North China Yan-Zhao Plain (II5), Shandong Peninsula (II6), Loess Plateau (II7) | 7 |
East China (III) | Yangtze River Delta Cities (III1), Central Jiangsu (III2), Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers (III 3), Southern Zhejiang (III4), Jiangsu-Shandong-Anhui-Henan Region (III5) | 5 |
Central China (IV) | Jianghan Plain (IV1), Central Plains (IV2), Poyang Lake (IV3), Hunan (IV4), Jinggang Mountains (IV5), Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing and Northern Guizhou (IV6) | 6 |
South China (V) | Pearl River Delta Cities (V1), Western Shore of the Taiwan Strait (V2), Chaozhou-Shantou Region (V3), Beibu Gulf (V4), Lingnan (V5), Nanling (V6), Eastern Guangdong and Hakka (V7), Wuyi Mounatins (V8), Leizhou Peninsula (V9), Hainan Island (V10), Taiwan Island (V11), South China Sea Islands (V12) | 12 |
Northwest China (VI) | Guanzhong Plain (VI1), Hanzhong Valley (VI2), Shaanxi-Gansu Loess Plateau (VI3), Ordos Plateau (VI4), Yinchuan Plain (VI5), Southern Ningxia (VI6), Hexi Corridor (VI7), Huangshui Valley (VI8), Alashan Plateau (VI9), Turpan Basin (VI10), Northern Xinjiang (VI11), Southern Xinjiang (VI12), Yili River Valley (VI13) | 13 |
Southwest China (VII) | Sichuan Basin (VII1), Qinba Mountains (VII2), Central Yunnan (VII3), Daliang and Xiaoliang Mountains (VII4), Northwest Yunnan (VII5), Western Yunnan Mountains (VII6), Southern Yunnan (VII7), Eastern Yunnan and Western Guangxi (VII8), Northeast Yunnan (VII9), Southern Guizhou (VII10) | 10 |
Qinghai and Tibet (VIII) | Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (VIII1), Qaidam Basin (VIII2), Southern Tibet River Valley (VIII3), Western Sichuan Mountains (VIII4) | 4 |
Totals | 66 | 66 |
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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