The Nature of Disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood

Description

In 1931, China suffered a catastrophic flood that claimed millions of lives. This was neither a natural nor human-made disaster. Rather, it was created by an interaction between the environment and society. Regular inundation had long been an integral feature of the ecology and culture of the middle Yangzi, yet by the modern era floods had become humanitarian catastrophes. Courtney describes how the ecological and economic effects of the 1931 flood pulse caused widespread famine and epidemics. He takes readers into the inundated streets of Wuhan, describing the terrifying and disorientating sensory environment. He explains why locals believed that an angry Dragon King was causing the flood, and explores how Japanese invasion and war with the Communists inhibited both official relief efforts and refugee coping strategies. This innovative study offers the first in-depth analysis of the 1931 flood, and charts the evolution of one of China's most persistent environmental problems.

Chris Courtney is an environmental and social historian of modern China. He has lived for over five years in the city of Wuhan, and is passionate about the history and culture of the region. Having completed his Ph.D. at the University of Manchester, he was awarded research fellowships at Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge, and at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore.

'Among the welcome deluge of works on the environmental history of rivers in China, Courtney's work is distinctive in being able to bring the multiple dimensions, such as the hydrological, agricultural, local, political and not least, the cosmological and religious - within the optic he calls 'disaster regimes'. It is an innovative idea that can help guide the increasingly important field of disaster studies.' Prasenjit Duara, Oscar Tang Professor, Duke University, North Carolina 'This is a marvelous book. Courtney examines the massive but often-overlooked Yangzi River Flood of 1931 from environmental, ecological, institutional, cultural, social, and sensory perspectives, and delves into topics as varied as snail fever and the Dragon King cult. The Nature of Disaster greatly enriches our understanding of flooding in Nationalist China, and makes an important and timely contribution to the broader field of Chinese disaster studies.' Kathryn Edgerton-Tarpley, San Diego State University 'Courtney employs a multidimensional perspective that benefits from new trends in environmental history, as well as the more conventional institutional and political approaches of historians ... Each of these six cleverly researched and well-written histories of the 1931 flood presents insights of great interest ...' Lillian M. Li, Journal of Interdisciplinary History '... the most detailed and explanatory book on the 1931 flood of central China. It fills an important gap and should remain a key reference on the subject.' Delphine Spicq, East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine