Introduction: Water, society and politics -- Water-based disasters and a cultured nature -- Disordering nature : wetlands and empire reconstruction (1600s-early 1700s) -- The retreat of the horse : the Manchus, pasturelands, and water management on the Jianghan Plain (ca.1700s-mid-1800s) -- Militarizing water : forts, polders, and landscape in an era of crisis (1796-1860s) -- Coping with the environmental crisis in the post-Taiping era -- Centering the Plain.
Summary:
"This book centers on the changes of polders and investigates the complex hydro-social relationships of the Jianghan Plain in late imperial China. Once a "hydraulic frontier" where local communities managed the polders, the Jianghan Plain became a state-led hydro-electric powerhouse by the mid-twentieth century. Through meticulous historical analysis, this book shows how water politics, cultural practice, and ecology interplayed and transformed the landscape and waterscape of the plain from a long-term perspective. By touching on topics such as religious beliefs, ethnic tension and militarization, the author reveals a plain in between nature and culture that has never been fully examined before"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.