A Powerhouse of Progress

The history of the northern provinces in China is a long and fascinating one. The most remote, sparsely populated areas, with their colder and harsher topography, have had relatively little influence on the evolution of present-day China. On the other hand, Beijing and the surrounding provinces, with their more benign climates and burgeoning populations, have become the driving force of Chinese progress in many diverse areas — cuisine, politics, the arts, agriculture and industry.

The earliest known settlements, built around 8000bce, were largely primitive villages based on an agricultural economy, and found in the coastal regions of the Shandong peninsula and along the rich deltas of the Yangtze River. The people were hunter-gatherers and fishermen. Archaeological sites in Henan have yielded evidence of carnivore diets, such as fossilized pork bones; that millet, wheat, barley and rice were grown; and that these grains were also turned into alcoholic beverages such as rice wine. Soy beans have been cultivated for more than 3,000 years, and products such as tofu and soy sauce were developed many centuries ago.