Land Reclamation in the Rhine and Yangzi Deltas: An Explorative Comparison, 1600-1800

• 作者: Leonard Blusse 徐冠勉
• 来源期刊: 复旦人文社会科学论丛:英文版
• 学科: 社会科学
• 关键词: China DUTCH REPUBLIC Water management GREAT DIVERGENCE Jiangnan
• 年，卷（期）: 2019,（3）
• 页码范围: 423-455
• 页数: 33页
• 分类号: C

摘要

In the early sixteenth century, the deltas of Rhine and Yangzi faced comparable ecological crises, but neither of these riverine societies was deterred by the mounting challenges. They independently developed divergent ways to not only defend against the encroaching water, but also reclaim new land from the water.This paper aims to examine the factors in the making of that transformation in these two riverine societies and to ask how they took different paths, why, and what were the implications of that divergence. In asking these questions, particular attention will be paid to the significance of technological and institutional breakthroughs in the Dutch case, such as highly efficient windmills for pumping water, the mapping of cadastral surveys with triangulation, the centralization of power in the local water boards (heem raden), and the involvement of the financial market. In the Chinese case, we focus on the importance of the developing domestic market, the relationship between state and society in local water management, and the formation of unique local land reclamation organizations.