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.
The land is similar to what you might find in Kansas in the United States, but is much more crowded. Where one family might live on a farm, in northeast China you will find an entire village of several hundred people. North China's severe winters limit the growing season to about half the year. Western China is less populated than Eastern China. West of the wheat fields is the Gobi Desert.