Introduction; 1. The Long River长江; 2. The flood pulse; 3. The Dragon King龙王; 4. A sense of disaster; 5. Disaster experts; 6. The floating population; Epilogue.
Unearths the forgotten history of a catastrophic flood, examining its profound impact upon the environment and society of modern China.
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
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