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ally distributed on upper-slopes and tops of hills, at the "water mouths" where water flows in and out of basins, etc. where the forests are most effective in preventing soil erosion, reserving water resource, alleviating flood, wind and drought and improving a favorable microclimate. Fig.4 shows a mountain village in northern Gunagdong Province, located in a small basin surrounded with limestone hills. It has a population of more than 300 people, who live by a small spring; it is the surrounding Feng-shui forest that keeps the spring alive. Though trees on the other side of the hills have been cut indiscriminately, the Feng-shui forest remains intact and is as old as the village itself. The species in Feng-shui forests are themselves not worthy of protection, they are usually the most common and native ones, such as species in the genus Cinnamomum. For this reason, the general ecological function of Feng-shui forests can be realized most effectively. Water Conservancy Landscape Engineering Fig.4. The Feng-shui forest keeps a spring alive, on which the village lives (a preliminary survey by the author, in northern Guangdong Province) In the hilly land of south-east China, floods usually come along with rainy season and drought with the dry season. Water conservancy projects are therefore typical ecological landscape features in basins. For example: 1) Protection of "water mouth" and rationing system of water resource: Forest and temples are commonly seen near the "water mouth" and spring as signs of protection. If several clans or villages share the same water source, water will be distributed according to a peace treaty, which is usually the result of long and fierce fights among villages. Through wisely designed water courses, water will be rationed among members of the same village. The water rationing system in the village Hongcun in hilly southern Anhui Province is a good example (Fig.5). water is drawn from a stream all through the upper half of the village with a tortuous channel that flows by the step of each house; this channel is called "ox intestines" by the local people. Such a water distribution system among members of a village, as well as among different villages, can promote in every resident the sense of responsibility for water resource prudence; thus Hardin's tragedy of the commons"(Hardin 1968) can be avoided. Fig. 5. The water conservancy system in the village Hongcun in southern Anhui Province (a preliminary survey by the author) 2) Ponds for water reservation and reuse: Ponds in front and in the center of a village are a common landscape feature in the Chinese countryside. To continue with the case in the village Hongcun, the "ox intestines" channeled water into a semi-circular pond, called the "ox stomach" in the center of the village, which was used as a spring and was preserved and expanded during the construction of the village, so that more people could use the water simultaneously. Beyond this "stomach", water is then again channeled tortuously through the lower part of village and drained into a much bigger pond, the "ox belly", where water is rich in organic matter, and fish can be hatched and lotus cultivated. These ponds are functional in regulating the microclimate and making the "dragon vein" flourish as alleviating flood, drought and fire. Besides this, they improve the scenery of the rural landscape, which has a significant psychological effect upon the residents. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The