China is about the same size as the United States, but is more than four times as crowded. Seventy percent of China's people live on farms or in small villages. If you draw a line across China west from Shanghai, you can get an idea of how China's diverse climates affect where people live. The vast majority of China's people live south of Shanghai. In this part of China, people rather than machines do most of the work.
Rice is the dominant crop, and rice farming requires more labor than other crops.
Farmers have learned to use every bit of land possible to feed the large population. The warm climate of southern China allows farmers to have two and sometimes three harvests. Farmers have learned to use every bit of land possible. Hills are often ringed with terraces in order to create more farmland. Wheat is the most common crops of northeast China.