Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. The Nature of Disaster in China
  • Cited by 19
      • Show more authors
      • You may already have access via personal or institutional login
    • Select format
    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      01 February 2018
      15 February 2018
      ISBN:
      9781108278362
      9781108417778
      9781108405799
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108278362
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.64kg, 310 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.4kg, 312 Pages
      • Series:
      Studies in Environment and History
      Subjects:
      East Asian History, Environmental History, Area Studies, Asian Studies, History, Regional History after 1500
    You may already have access via personal or institutional login
    • Selected: Digital
    Add to cart View cart Buy from Cambridge.org
    Series:
    Studies in Environment and History
    Subjects:
    East Asian History, Environmental History, Area Studies, Asian Studies, History, Regional History after 1500
    Information

    Book 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.

    Awards

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

    Reviews

    '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 Source: 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 Source: East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine

    Refine List

    Actions for selected content:

    Select all | Deselect all
    • View selected items
    • Export citations
    • Download PDF (zip)
    • Save to Kindle
    • Save to Dropbox
    • Save to Google Drive

    Save Search

    You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

    Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
    Cancel
    ×

    Contents

    Contents
    • 1 - The Long River 长江
      pp 17-55
        • You have access
      • PDF
      • HTML
      • Export citation

    Metrics

    Altmetric attention score

    Full text views

    Total number of HTML views: 0
    Total number of PDF views: 0 *
    Loading metrics...

    Book summary page views

    Total views: 0 *
    Loading metrics...

    * Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

    Usage data cannot currently be displayed.

    Accessibility standard: Unknown

    Why this information is here

    This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

    Accessibility Information

    Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.