9.4 Subregions of East Asia

Because China is so large and diverse, it is easiest to consider it by looking at its four major subregions—those of northeastern, central, southeastern, and far west and north China (Figure 9.31). The other countries have different cultural traditions, both ancient and modern, as Figure 9.11 shows, and each makes up a separate subregion of East Asia.

FIGURE 9.31 Subregions of East Asia. This map shows the four subregions of China as well as the other four subregions of East Asia: Taiwan, Japan, South and North Korea, and Mongolia.