Youyu, Shanxi, is situated on an alluvial basin surrounded by hills along the perimeter. Cangtouhe River and its tributaries flow through the central region. Currently effort is directed toward converting the wide expanse of the river flood plain into bankland for cultivation by training the rivers with earth levees. The reclamation program must be supplemented by flood-control projects upstream, and has been successful, though a lot more can be done.

A large number of warping dams have been created in the branch gullies to create warping land and they also help to reduce flood flow.

Picture source: George Leung (1999)