The Rise and Fall of a Man-Made Lake: Training Lake in Jiangnan, China, 300-2000 A.D.

Author: Vermeer, Eduard B.1

Source: Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Volume 51, Number 2, 2008 , pp. 209-251(43)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

The shallow Training Lake in Jiangnan has received much attention in historical records because of the direct involvement of successive dynastic governments in the protection of its seasonal water supply to the Grand Canal. Historians have all praised the periodical efforts to restore the lake's water supply and irrigation functions. However, in view of the high operating costs of the lake and its limited benefits, the various attempts to reclaim land and water for agriculture may have been more rational in terms of economic profit. Visitors' descriptions provide many details on the long-term environmental changes in the lake area. In the 1960s, it was drained and turned into a state farm.

French
Le Lac d'Entraînement peu profond de Jiangnan a retenu l'attention dans les textes historiques parce que les gouvernements dynastiques successifs se sont investis pour assurer alimentation saisonnier du Grand Canal par ses eaux. Tous les historiens ont loué les efforts périodiques visant à lui conserver sa fonction d'alimentation et d'irrigation. Parce que les frais d'entretien du lac étaient élevés et les profits limités, il se peut néanmoins que les travaux entrepris pour convertir le lac en terres agricoles étaient plus rentables. Les descriptions des visiteurs nous fournissent d'abondants détails sur les changements environnementaux à long terme que subit la région du Lac. Dans les années 1960, il fut drainé pour y installer une exploitation agricole d'état.

Keywords: WATER CONSERVATION; LIANHU LAKE; GRAND CANAL; ENVIRONMENT

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1163/156852008X307438

Affiliations: 1: University of Turku, Finland

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