Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2017

 

The Modern Colonial Development of the Forests in Northeast China and Changes in Their Ecological Space

(Abstract)

 

Wang Xiliang

 

Northeast China has long been known as “linhai” (sea of forests). Firstly, in the late Qing, using the joint construction of the Eastern Railways as an excuse, Russia deforested the land along the Bin Sui (Harbin to Suifenhe) Railway and the Bin Zhou (Harbin to Manzhouli) Railway, as well as the land on the Chinese side of the Chinese-Russian border. Subsequently, by means of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan seized the interests of Russia in South Manchuria, leading to an unprecedented catastrophe for forests in the Yalu River basin and the Hunjiang River basin. After the September 18 Incident, Japan occupied northeastern China. Thereafter, forest zones including the Greater and Lesser Khingan Ranges, the Changbai Mountains, the Zhang Guangcai Ridge, the Wanda Mountains, and the Laoye Ridge and other resource-rich forest areas experienced devastating felling. The two imperialist countries of Russia and Japan acquired 440 million cubic meters of timber through their destructive colonial exploitation of the forests in northeastern China, resulting in the disappearance of forest resources along the railways in the region and in the Yalu River and Hunjiang River basins. The Changbai Mountains, the Greater and Lesser Khingan Ranges and other key forest zones also became logging areas. The sharp decline of forest resources caused the deterioration of the ecological environment in northeastern China and led to changes in ecological space, including changes in human living environments and in production modes and ways of life.