What defines North/south China

[bhchao]

What are the boundaries of north and south China? I am confused on what defines the northern and southern parts. Is there a definite demarcation line, like south or north of a river, or is it highly ambiguous in certain areas?

I always heard of Jiangsu being referred to as a southern province. But are there parts of Jiangsu that may be considered northern China?

In the US, the Mason Dixon line distinguishes the boundaries between the Northeast states with the Southern states. States that fall north of this line are northern states, while states south of the line constitute the South. However many people do not consider Maryland and Delaware to be southern states even though they are south of the Maxon Dixon line. These states are where subjective interpretation comes into play.

And even though Washington D.C. is south of the Line, many consider it to be a Northern city, while others say it is a Southern city. More like a city where North and South converge, a "northern mentality establishment" with a southern aura.

[gougou]

In China, you will often hear 江南 and 江北 (referring to 长江). This is even used in legislation (heating, for instance, is only compulsory in building projects north of the Yangtze).

BTW, not to be confused with 华南 and 华北, they only comprise a couple of provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) each:

华北：北京市 天津市 河北省 山西省 内蒙古自治区

东北：辽宁省 吉林省 黑龙江省

华东：上海市 江苏省 浙江省 安徽省 福建省 江西省 山东省

华中：河南省 湖北省 湖南省

华南：广东省 广西壮族自治区 海南省

西南:四川省 重庆市 云南省 贵州省 西藏自治区

西北:新疆维吾尔自治区 宁夏回族自治区 甘肃省 陕西省 青海省

[simonlaing]

Yes here in Nanjing we are right next to the river on the south side yet are considered South and so don't have central heating. This regulation is starting to change a bit and some of the new houses have central air.

Some other differences are cultural. The north likes noodles more than the south which likes rice.

The north are more likely to have dumplings at Spring festival than the South.

Also my Chinese friends say the South has more of a reputation for being good at business and trade (Canton heritege I guess) where as the north is better at other things like basketball.

These are stereotypes of course but on the whole they are still true.

have fun,

Simon:)

[gougou]

This regulation is starting to change a bit and some of the new houses have central air.

The regulation is not changing; it never was forbidden to add central heating to houses south of the river (even though given the environmental problems China faces, that might be a good idea...). What changed is that now there are people willing and able to pay extra for some luxury.

[skylee]

I think we are 嶺南 ...

[muyongshi]

Also my Chinese friends say the South has more of a reputation for being good at business and trade (Canton heritege I guess) where as the north is better at other things like basketball.

So why are Sichuan woman considered awesome business people? It's not because of canton influence. We are south China but the lines are funny.