Pictures taken at the Shilichangchuan watershed in July 1995 during a severe
drought. The gully floor was irrigated, while the gully slopes were nearly
barren. The concrete structure in the foreground is a drainage device for
the warping dam which protects the gully floor from severe flood runoff.
Since it was a government-sponsored project, the hillside slopes were not terraced
or utilized. Presumably, if the land above the gully floor was contracted
out as wasteland to individual farmers, it would be more fully utilized.
When it is not a drought year, the slopes will not look as barren as shown
in these pictures.
Picture source: George Leung (1995)