Great changes have taken place in Beijing after China's reform and opening up. Improving infrastructure by build-ing roads and communication networks has borne wonder-ful results. The Second and Third Ring roads have helped it shape a round traffic network with many overpasses.
Riverside scenery
A geographical line called "Qinling Mountain-Huaihe River" boundary line runs through the eastern part of Chi-na. The region south of the line records an annual rainfall of more than 800 mm, experiences higher temperatures than the northern areas and has ice-free rivers in winter.
Abundant resources and products
Areas south of the Yangtze River are very important for Chin's agriculture. The plains of Jianghan, the Dongting, Poyang and Taihu lakes, and the Yangtze River Delta region are known 28 the "land of milk and honey" in China.
Golden waterway
Between the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze Riv-er lies an important artificial waterway with a long history: the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The 1,700-km-long canal starts from Beijing in the north and ends in Hangzhou in the south, running through Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and spanning across the Haihe, Yellow, Huaihe, Yangtze and Qiantang rivers.
Famous mountains
Areas south of the Yangtze River have many famous mountains. Though they are not very high, they offer beau-tiful sceneries and have a special charm, attracting tourists from across the world.
