The nature of disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood
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.
floods, china, Yangtze river, history
Cambridge University Press
Courtney, Christopher
9a23b876-9174-4087-b508-4852c15d1739
15 February 2018
Courtney, Christopher
9a23b876-9174-4087-b508-4852c15d1739
Courtney, Christopher
(2018)
The nature of disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood
,
Cambridge University Press, 296pp.
Abstract
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.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 February 2018
Published date: 15 February 2018
Keywords:
floods, china, Yangtze river, history
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 424653
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/424653
PURE UUID: 6d65c691-03e9-450b-9d5d-fcefbbb6b6fe
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 05 Oct 2018 11:39
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 21:20
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Christopher Courtney
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics