Hilly regions are to be found in many parts of china, in plateaus basins and coastal plains. There are, for example, the Loess Hills in the Loess Plateau, the chains of purple hills in the Sichuan Basin, and vast areas of red hills south of the Middle-Lower Changjiang (Yangtze River) Plain. Many of the hills are located in east China. Most of them are interspersed with the mountains from which they were formed through age-old erosion. The following are the major hilly regions in the eastern part of the country.

The Liaodong and Liaoxi Hills

The Liaodong Hills are the general term for the low hills in eastern Liaoning. The southern section of this hilly region protrudes between the Huanghai and Bohai seas to form the Liaodong Peninsula and its middle section is crossed by the Qianshan Mountains from north to south. Its indented coast studded with harbors, the region is rich in coal, iron, apple, tussah silk and aquatic products.

The Liaoxi Hills include the Songling, Nuluerhu, Yiwulu and other low hills in western Liaoning. Bisected by the Daling and Xiaoling rivers, the region has a lacerated terrain and wealth of mineral deposits.

The Shandong Hills

The Shandong Hills in central and eastern Shandong are bounded by the Mount Tai area in the west which is 500-1,000 meters above sea level and consists of the Mount Tai and Lushan, Mengshan and Yishan Mountains; the Laoshan hills (Jiaodong Hills) in the east which jut out between the Hanghai and Bohai seas and are strewn with harbors and islands; and the Jiaolai Valleys in the Middle, which consist of hillock plains.

The Jiangnan Hills

The Jiannan Hills comprise vast low-hill areas south of the Yangtze River, north of the Nanling range, east of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and west of the Wuyi Mountains. They cover the greater parts of Jiangxi and Hunan and the borders of southern Anhui, southwester Jiangsu and western Zhejiang. With undulating terrain, these hills rise 200-600 meters above sea level, the highest exceeding 1,500 meters, and run in a northeast-southwest direction. The Jiangnan hilly region consists of six sections: the Western Hunan Hills, with the Wuling and Xuefeng mountains; the Central Hunan Hills, with the Hangshan mountains range; the Western Jianxi Hills, with Mofu and Luoxiao mountains; the Eastern Jiangxi Hills, with Huaiyu and other mountains; the Southern Anhui Hills, with Hangshan and Jiuhua mountains; and the Ningzhen Hills, with the Ningzhen and Maoshan mountains. Scattered between the hills are numerous river basins of red rock ideal for growing rice tea and tangerines. The hilly areas have a wealth of mineral deposits.

The Zhejiang-Fujian Hills

They refer to the low hills in the south of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the entire Fujian Province and eastern Guangdong. The main ranges include the Tianmu, Wuyi, Xianxialing, Guacang, Yandang and Daiyun, all running northeast-southwest and rise 200-1,000 meters above sea level, the highest exceeding 1,500 meters. The lacerated terrain with its numerous grotesque peaks, precipitous cliffs, deep canyons and beautiful landscapes makes the area a famous tourist center. The region has many riverside basins and river estuary plains abundant hydropower and forest and mineral resources, and a zigzag coast ideal for fishery.

The Guangdong-Guangxi Hills

They are the general term for most of the low hills in Guangdong and Guangxi,. The main ranges are the Dayao, Shiwandashan, Yunkaidashan, Luofou and Lianhua, most of which are 200-400 meters above sea level with a few exceeding 1,000 meters. Limestone characterizes much of Guangxi, where the picturesque hills with their bluish rock are reflected in the clear water of the rivers. Guilin and Yangshuo are the two best-known scenic spots in Guangxi. Guangdong is marked by a granite and red sandstone topography. There are flat valleylands along the Xinjiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers and numerous island off the zigzag coast. Guangdong also abounds in forests and metallic ores.