Robert B. Marks

Tigers, Rice, Silk, and Silt

Environment and Economy in Late Imperial South China
Herausgeber: Crosby, Alfred W.; Worster, Donald

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Challenging the conventional wisdom conveyed by Western environmental historians about China, this book examines the correlations between economic and environmental changes in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi from 1400 to 1850, but also provides substantial background from 2CE on. Robert Marks discusses the impact of population growth on land-use patterns, the agro-ecology of the region, and deforestation; the commercialisation of agriculture and its implications for ecological change; the impact of climatic change on agriculture; and the ways in which the human population responded to environmental challenges. This book is a significant contribution to both Chinese and environmental history. It is groundbreaking in its methods and in its findings.

Table of contents:
Introduction; 1. 'Firs and pines a hundred spans round': the natural environment of Lingnan; 2. 'All deeply forested and wild places are not malarious': human settlement and ecological change, 2-1400 AD; 3. 'Agriculture is the foundation': economic recovery and development in the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644; 4. 'All the people have fled': war and the environment in the mid-17th century crisis, 1644-1683; 5. 'Rich households compete to build ships': overseas trade and economic revival; 6. 'It never used to snow': climate change and agricultural productivity; 7. 'There is only a certain amount of grain produced': the role of the state in the food supply system; 8. 'Trade in rice is brisk:' market integration and the environment; 9. 'Population increases daily, but the land does not': the story of land clearance in the 18th century; 10. 'People said that extinction was not possible': the ecological consequences of land clearance; Conclusion.

Challenging conventional Western wisdom, Marks examines the relationship between economic and environmental changes in the imperial Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (a region historically known as Lingnan, 'South of the Mountains') from 1400 to 1850.

Groundbreaking study of the correlations between economic and environmental changes in imperial Chinese Lingnan from 1400 to 1850.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Cambridge University Press
• Seitenzahl: 408
• Erscheinungstermin: 25. Juni 2005
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 240mm x 161mm x 26mm
• Gewicht: 775g
• ISBN-13: 9780521591775
• ISBN-10: 0521591775
• Artikelnr.: 22086190

Autorenporträt

Robert B. Marks wears many hats, only one of which is a Stetson - he is a writer, editor, researcher, publisher, independent historian, and teacher. He has degrees in Mediaeval Studies, English Literature, and War Studies. He is the author of Diablo: Demonsbane, The EverQuest Companion, Garwulf's Corner, An Odyssey into Video Games and Pop Culture, and co-author of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Agora. In his spare time, he has done everything from make mead to historical swordfighting to rockhounding.He lives in the area of Kingston, Ontario, with his wife and two children.

Inhaltsangabe

List of maps, figures, and tables
Dynasties, Qing dynasty Emperors' reign dates, and weights and measures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. 'Firs and pines a hundred spans round': the natural environment of Lingnan
2. 'All deeply forested and wild places are not malarious': human settlement and ecological change in Lingnan, 2-1400 CE
3. 'Agriculture is the foundation': economic recovery and development of Lingnan during the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644
4. 'All the people have fled': war and the environment in the mid-seventeenth century crisis, 1644-83
5. 'Rich households compete to build ships': overseas trade and economic recovery
6. 'It never used to snow': climate change and agricultural productivity
7. 'There is only a certain amount of grain produced': granaries and the role of the state in the food supply system
8. 'Trade in rice is brisk:' market integration and the environment
9. 'Population increases daily, but the land does not': land clearance in the eighteenth century
10. 'People said that extinction was not possible': the ecological consequences of land clearance
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.