Liuqianhe (¼B¤dªe¶m)
Only thirty minutes east of Yulin by car is the Liuqianhe area. It is a typically eroded area where we interviewed local farmers to get a better handle on the situation at the bottom end of things.
On the way, we stopped to get a closer look at a sediment dam, here seen having already reclaimed a plot of land used for reforestation. Sediment dams generally have a small hole to allow excess water to flow freely through them during the rainy season (and also prevent the dam from breaking under too much stress), but much of the sediment is still caught, gradually building up to form a new section of stable land. (The hole isn't visible in this picture.) The largest dams are found at gully bottoms, but many smaller ones can be seen higher up wherever there are villages nearby.
The water-carved landscapes may look terrifyingly beautiful,
but it's not so cool when you live there and erosion begins to encroach on your courtyard,
not to mention the lay of the land forces its inhabitants to take incredibly circuitous routes. In Yinjiayan village, the first of several we visited, the locals recounted how only ten years ago before there was tap water, all water had to be hauled up from the gully floor, a two-hour round trip.
Homes in many areas of the Loess Plateau consist of cave-dwellings, called "yaodong" (½`¬}), dug out of the easily shaped ground. Newer yaodong, which are found in all but the poorest regions, resemble normal houses with their flat earthen roofs (which over time become home to shrubs and grasses), although they are still built according to the traditional yaodong design. Most villages have sets of both the old and new yaodong, but in many cases the former are only used for storage.
Wealthier families could afford to spruce up [and no doubt strengthen] the front of their old yaodong with brick walls.
Another use for old yaodong: animal shelter.
Small temples are a common sight on high ground. This one has a frame over an area for performances, just waiting for a festival or celebration.
