This study aims to interpret the significance as a cultural symbolism of ‘rentouhu (人頭 壺),’ which is gourd-shaped earthenware with a human face sculpted on the spout and has been excavated in large quantities at the Neolithic sites in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in China. Although there have been brief descriptions on these artefacts due to their unusual shape, there has been little discussion of their significance as a cultural symbol. This study would like to argue that this object is a visual depiction of the origin myth that ‘humankind was born from a gourd,’ a myth that is widespread in China. The narrative of the origin of humankind from bottle gourd is universal and takes various forms in the origin myths of many ethnic groups in China, including the Han Chinese. It is also closely associated with the gourd, a device that enabled humankind to survive the disaster of the Great Flood. This paper draws on graphonomic, philological, archaeological, and anthropological data to discuss the cultural implications of ‘rentouhu (人頭壺).’ In particular, by clarifying the etymology of several Chinese characters including the character ‘yi’ (壹: one), this paper analyzes the traces of the myth of the origin of humankind from the calabash implicit in the etymology. Artefacts from Yinxu (殷墟), Anyang, Henan Province showing ‘a bird’s body with a human face’ discovered in the lower Yellow River region and the petroglyphs depicting the ‘flowers in the shape of human faces’ in Lianyungang (連雲港), Jiangsu Province in the downstream area of the Huai River are also expressions of the myth of the origin of humankind and cultural symbols of ‘rentouhu.’ This study will contribute to in-depth studies of the rentouhu as well as the origins of Chinese civilization. Beyond this, it will contribute to proposing a methodology of ‘Chinese character archeology,’ a convergence study involving graphonomy, philology, anthropology, and archeology.

황해와 북동중국해에는 중국의 황하와 양쯔강 그리고 한국의 강들로부터 많은 양의 부유물질이 공급되어 대륙붕 해역에 여러 개의 니질 퇴적체가 발달하고 있으나, 이들 퇴적체에서 두 기원을 설명할 수 있는 퇴적-지화학적 요인은 아직까지 명확하게 제시되고 있지 않다. 본 논문에서는 한국과 중국 기원 강 퇴적물의 주성분 원소의 함량 특성을 비교 연구하고, 그 결과를 토대로 황해와 북동중국해 퇴적물에 적용 가능한 기원지 추적자를 제시하였다. 본 연구를 위해 총 102개의 강과 연안 퇴적물에 대한 주성분 원소(Al, Fe, Mg, K, Ca, Na, Ti)들의 함량을 유도결합플라즈마 분석기를 이용하여 분석하였으며, 이와 함께 입도효과를 최소화하기위해 원시료를 실트(60∼20μm)와 점토 구간(<20μm)으로 분리하여 주성분 원소 함량과 스트론튬 동위원소 비(87Sr/86Sr)를 분석하였다. 연구결과, 새로운 방법의 입도보정을 통한 Fe/Al과 Mg/Al 함량 비는 매우 유용한 잠재적 추적자로 제시되며, 이러한 결과는 입자 분리된 실트와 점토 퇴적물에서 더욱 뚜렷하다. 또한 실트 구간의 퇴적물에서 한국 기원의 87Sr/86Sr 비는 0.7229∼0.7253(평균 0.7243) 범위로 중국 기원 퇴적물(0.7169∼0.7189, 평균 0.7179)과 뚜렷한 차이를 보여, 황해와 북동중국해에서 한국과 중국 기원의 퇴적물을 구분할 수 있는 중요한 지화학적 성분으로 평가된다. 이러한 잠재적 추적자들에 근거할 때, 한국 서남해에 발달하고 있는 니질 퇴적대의 전퇴적물은 한국과 중국의 혼합 기원으로 해석되나, 실트와 점토 구간의 퇴적물로 나누어 볼 때 그기원이 각각 다르게 나타났다. 즉, 점토 퇴적물은 한국과 중국의 혼합 기원으로, 실트 퇴적물은 한국 기원이 우세한 것으로 해석된다.

As an important aspect of vulnerability ,economic vulnerability is a research hot issue in vulnerability and Tourism sustainability research field. On the basis of defining vulnerability, the paper combines vulnerability with the tourism economic system. Taking the Yellow River delta efficient ecological economic zone as an example, the paper establishes an assessment model of tourism economic system vulnerability, and evaluates the tourism economic system vulnerability using the entropy method and the comprehensive evaluation method. Using obstacle degree analyze the main obstacle factors of cities in the paper . The evaluation result is that the Yellow River delta efficient ecological economic zone has a vulnerable tourism economic system, which is almost in line with the actual situation.

Soil samples were collected from new-developed wetland soil ecosystem of Tamarix chinesis plantation in Chinese Yellow River Delta in different months of 2003. Soil characteristics, temporal change and spatial distribution of microbial community composition and their relationship with nitrogen turnover and circling were investigated in order to analyze and characterize the role of microbial diversity and functioning in the specific soil ecosystem. The result showed that the total population of microbial community in the studied soil was considerably low, compared with common natural ecosystem. The amount of microorganism followed as the order: bacteria> actinomycetes>fungi. Amount of actinomycetes were higher by far than that of fungi. Microbial population remarkably varied in different months. Microbial population of three species in top horizon was corrected to that in deep horizon. Obvious rhizosphere effect was observed and microbial population was significantly higher in rhizosphere than other soils due to vegetation growth, root exudation, and cumulative dead fine roots. Our results demonstrate that microbial diversity is low, while is dominated by specific community in the wetland ecosystem of Tamarix chinesi.

The Yellow River began ceasing affected by natural factors and the unreasonable human activities. The flow broke in the Yellow River and water and sediment flowing into the sea decreased, which lowered the speed of newly formed wetland extending to the sea. The water environment deteriorated; Its composing structure tended to be unsteady; The biologic diversity decreased and wetland function reduced. To ensure that the Yellow River delta and its ecosystem develops sustainablly, it is significant to reduce times and days of the ceasing, keep certain runoff and sediments in the river to the sea and make its watercourse stable.

The Yellow River delta is an important region where coastal and newly formed wetlands distribute in north China. Based on satellite remote sensing images and GIS techniques, this paper tends to delineate the dynamic changes of newly formed wetland in the Yellow River mouth from 1986.5 to 1996.10. Our results show that the newly formed wetland increased by 24.9 km2 per year. Before 1990.1 and it decreased by 2.40 km2 per year after that. The northern and southwestern parts of the Yellow River mouth are main positions of decrease and the southern and the estuary parts are main positions of increase. The advancing rate of river mouth extending into the Bo Sea is decreasing obviously. The reason for that is the decreasing of water and sediments in the Yellow River, which caused by the increasing use of water and soil conservation on upper reach.