The Nature of Disaster in China
The 1931 Yangzi River Flood

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.

Awards

• Winner, 2019 John K. Fairbank Prize, American Historical Association

Reviews & endorsements

'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

Customer reviews

Product details

• Date Published: January 2018
• format: Adobe eBook Reader
• isbn: 9781108287098

• contains: 19 b/w illus. 3 tables
• availability: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.