TheNortheast China Plain (simplified Chinese:东北平原;traditional Chinese:東北平原;pinyin:Dōngběi Píngyuán), also known asSongliao Plain,Manchurian Plain, orNortheast Plain, is located inNortheast China. It lies between theGreater andLesser Khingan andChangbai mountains, ending at the coast atLiaodong Bay in theBohai Sea.[1] Covering 350,000 km2, it is China's largestplain, with an elevation of lower than 200 meters, and less than 100 meters to the southwest.[2] TheSonghua,Nen, andLiao Rivers run through the plain.[3]
The Northeast Plain includesSongnen Plain in the north,Liaohe Plain in the south, andSanjiang Plain in the northeast. The Songnen Plain was formed by the Songhua and alluvial soils from the Nen. The Liaohe Plain, located in the hilly areas nearChangchun, was created by the separation of watersheds of the Songhua and Liao, which are collectively known as the Liaohe Plain. The Sanjiang Plain, at the confluence of the Songhua,Amur, andUssuri Rivers,[4] was originally a swamp known as the "Great Northern Wilderness", becoming a food-producing area after reclamation. The original wetland area of the Sanjiang Plain has been greatly reduced.
The Northeast Plain was inhabited bySushen ethnic groups since theZhou Dynastic period, up to and including theJurchen people, who were semi-nomadic. Large scaleHan migration occurred during the Qing dynasty, in a process calledChuang Guandong, intensifying during the reign ofGuangxu Emperor in the late 19th century, and bringing with them large scale agriculture.
It is suitable for mechanized farming, with thick and fertile soil and extensive amounts of arable land. The plain is a majorChernozem-producing region of the world. Huge areas are planted with wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, sugar beets, sunflowers, sorghum, and flax. The landscape is rich in resources such as iron ore, coal, and oil. After 1949, land reclamation began on the plain and state farms were established.[4] There are very few trees on this landscape that have not been planted, typically poplars in long rows along roads, or on either side of the train tracks. There are not many fences on the landscape, no long running fences, though there are many wooden or stone fences adjacent to the houses. There is also muchwetland, vastmarshes, and many areas that are subject to flooding.[5]