Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.5, 2018

 

“Was Control of the Yellow River Undertaken to Protect Water Transport?” An Analysis of the Political Implications of Yellow River Conservancy in the Qing Dynasty (Abstract)

 

Jia Guojing

 

The Qing dynasty gave a high priority to controlling the Yellow River, not only expending large sums on it but also appointing a Yellow River governor, setting up a specific office, and establishing institutions, exhibiting an unprecedented intensity of intervention. Previous research has tended to believe that the main reason for this was that since the Qing had taken over the Ming system, it saw Yellow River conservancy as a measure for supporting water transport. However, the facts show that a lot more was involved. It is undeniable that if, at times when river transport was a priority, the political center was in the north and the economic center was in the south, the protection of water transport was a major mission for river conservancy, let alone the frequent flooding of the Yellow River in the early years of the Qing dynasty. At the same time, however, under the unstable and complicated situation, the Qing emperor also included the governance of the river into the strategic project of constructing the legitimacy of the regime. The activities of disaster relief, protection of the people’s livelihood, worship at the tomb of Yu the Great, continuing the previous ruling traditions, bestowing on honors on river gods, and exploring the Yellow River’s source were all based on this important consideration. In the mid-Qing period, despite multiple serious problems including difficulties in the Yellow River control and selection of officials, the Qing emperors still actively explored “managing the River” (shi he). Other considerations besides “protecting water transport”, were the inertia of tradition and observation of the ancestral family rules. As one of the most ambitious Qing projects, the governance of the Yellow River was not only a water conservancy project but also a national political project of great importance, highlighting the political and cultural traditions of the Qing dynasty.