Huangtu Gaoyuan

Huangtu Gaoyuan, commonly known in English as the Loess Plateau, is an extensive highland of wind-deposited silt in north-central China. The plateau is characterised by thick loess deposits, deeply incised gullies and a landscape shaped by erosion and terraced agriculture.

Traditional cave dwellings cut into loess slopes and extensive agricultural terraces are characteristic human adaptations to the region’s loose soils. The plateau has been the focus of large-scale soil conservation and revegetation programs in recent decades to combat erosion and restore productivity.

Geographically the Loess Plateau spans parts of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and neighbouring provinces, forming a major physiographic region between the Yellow River basin and the higher plateaus to the west.

• Extent: The Loess Plateau is one of the largest deposits of wind-blown silt in the world and is often referred to by its Chinese name, Huangtu Gaoyuan.
• Conservation efforts: Large-scale soil conservation, terracing and reforestation programs in recent decades have reduced erosion and altered land use across the plateau.

What to See #

• Yaodong cave dwellings: Loess cave-dwellings (yaodong) cut into slopes and used as traditional housing across much of the plateau.
• Gullied and terraced landscape: Strongly gullied and terraced areas where loose loess soils have been shaped for agriculture and soil-conservation projects.