The North China Plain (simplified Chinese: 华北平原; traditional Chinese: 華北平原; pinyin: Huáběi Píngyuán) is the large space of level land in eastern China. It was made by the Yellow River for the most part. It is the largest space of level land in eastern Asia. The Yellow River goes through the middle of the plain into the Bohai Sea. This plain is very important to China, because people grow lots of crops here. The North China Plain is 409,500 square kilometers. Most of this area is 50 meters below sea level. China's capital, Beijing, is in the north part of the plains. The southern part is sometimes called Zhongyuan, though it is also called the Central Plains. The Chinese civilization formed in the Central Plains.