Loess cave-dwellings in Shaanxi province,China

China's loessland is the home of ancient China's civilisation. For thousands of years, a distinct form of dwelling in Shaanxi, a part of China's loessland has been caves burrowed out of the soil. People still prefer living in cave dwellings to free standing Chinese houses. The persistence of cave dwellings may be an indication that the traditional cave dwellings has been a successful ecological adaptation to the local loess environment with long severe winters and intense summer heat.