THE RETREAT OF THE ELEPHANTS an environmental history of MAR K EL V IN china
Other books by Mark Elvin The Pattern of the Chinese Past.Stanford University Press:Stanford, California.1973 Cultural Atlas of China.Facts on File:New York.With Caroline Blunden. 1983 and 1998.(The revised edition is under the'Checkmark'imprint.) Another History:Essays on China from a European Perspective.Wild Peony Press and Hawaii University Press:Sydney and Honolulu.1996. Changing Stories in the Chinese World.Stanford University Press:Stanford, California.1997. Sediments of Time:Environment and Society in Chinese History. Cambridge University Press:New York.Edited with Liu Ts'ui-jung.1998. As 'John Dutton'(fiction) St Giles's Fair.Samara Press:Tarago,NSW,London,and Portola Valley, California.2000. Tiger's Island.Samara Press:Tarago,NSW,London,and Portola Valley, California.2000
Other books by Mark Elvin The Pattern of the Chinese Past. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California. 1973. Cultural Atlas of China. Facts on File: New York. With Caroline Blunden. 1983 and 1998. (The revised edition is under the ‘Checkmark’ imprint.) Another History: Essays on China from a European Perspective. Wild Peony Press and Hawaii University Press: Sydney and Honolulu. 1996. Changing Stories in the Chinese World. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California. 1997. Sediments of Time: Environment and Society in Chinese History. Cambridge University Press: New York. Edited with Liu Ts’ui-jung. 1998. As ‘John Dutton’ (fiction) St Giles’s Fair. Samara Press: Tarago, NSW, London, and Portola Valley, California. 2000. Tiger’s Island. Samara Press: Tarago, NSW, London, and Portola Valley, California. 2000
Copyright 2004 by Mark Elvin All rights reserved.This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S.Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press),without written permission from the publishers. For information about this and other Yale University Press publications,please contact: U.S.Office:sales.press@yale.edu yalebooks.com Europe Office:sales@yaleup.co.uk www.yalebooks.co.uk Set in Minion by Northern Phototypesetting Co.Ltd,Bolton Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Elvin,Mark The retreat of the elephants:an environmental history of China/by Mark Elvin.ist ed. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN o-300-10111-2 (cloth:alk.paper) 1.Human ecology-China-History.2.Elephants-China-Migration. 3.Deforestation-China-History.4.Environmental degradation-China-History. 5.China-Environmental conditions.I.Title. GF656.E482004 304.20951—dc22 2003017378 A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10987654321
Copyright © 2004 by Mark Elvin All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. For information about this and other Yale University Press publications, please contact: U.S. Office: sales.press@yale.edu yalebooks.com Europe Office: sales@yaleup.co.uk www.yalebooks.co.uk Set in Minion by Northern Phototypesetting Co. Ltd, Bolton Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Elvin, Mark The retreat of the elephants: an environmental history of China / by Mark Elvin. 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0‒300‒10111‒2 (cloth: alk. paper) 1. Human ecology—China—History. 2. Elephants—China—Migration. 3. Deforestation—China—History. 4. Environmental degradation— China—History. 5. China—Environmental conditions. I. Title. GF656.E48 2004 304.2´0951—dc22 2003017378 A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgments ix Permissions xii Conventions XV Introductory Remarks xvii Patterns 1 Landmarks and Time-marks 3 2 Humans v.Elephants:The Three Thousand Years War 9 The Great Deforestation:An Overview 19 The Great Deforestation:Regions and Species 40 5 War and the Logic of Short-term Advantage 86 6 Water and the Costs of System Sustainability 15 Particularities 165 Richness to Riches:The Story of Jiaxing 167 Chinese Colonialism:Guizhou and the Miao 216 9 The Riddle of Longevity:Why Zunhua? 273 Perceptions 319 10 Nature as Revelation 321 11 Science and Superfauna 369 Imperial Dogma and Personal Perspectives 413 Concluding Remarks 454 Notes 472 Bibliography 530 Index 548
List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgments ix Permissions xiii Conventions xv Introductory Remarks xvii Patterns 1 1 Landmarks and Time-marks 3 2 Humans v. Elephants: The Three Thousand Years War 9 3 The Great Deforestation: An Overview 19 4 The Great Deforestation: Regions and Species 40 5 War and the Logic of Short-term Advantage 86 6 Water and the Costs of System Sustainability 115 Particularities 165 7 Richness to Riches: The Story of Jiaxing 167 8 Chinese Colonialism: Guizhou and the Miao 216 9 The Riddle of Longevity: Why Zunhua? 273 Perceptions 319 10 Nature as Revelation 321 11 Science and Superfauna 369 12 Imperial Dogma and Personal Perspectives 413 Concluding Remarks 454 Notes 472 Bibliography 530 Index 548 Contents
fi Illustrations Maps 1.Schematic model of China for rapid reference 2.The retreat of the elephants,5000 BCE to present day 10 3. Hangzhou Bay,circa1000 142 4.Hangzhou Bay,mid eighteenth century 143 5.Hangzhou Bay,1986 143 Figure 1.Modeled revenue from cutting and selling a tree,with protection costs,and the option of investing proceeds at interest 83 Tables 1.Time-marks in Chinese environmental history 6 2.Land formation by the Yellow River on its southern and northern courses,from 1194 to 1983 129 3.The speed of advance,and the rate of accretion,of the Yellow River delta from 1195 to 1854 130 4.Riverine and tidal flows,with related sediment transport,in the Qiantang River measured at Qibao Station 153 5.Seed-to-yield ratios for rice in late-imperial Jiaxing 209
Maps 1. Schematic model of China for rapid reference 4 2. The retreat of the elephants, 5000 BCE to present day 10 3. Hangzhou Bay, circa 1000 142 4. Hangzhou Bay, mid eighteenth century 143 5. Hangzhou Bay, 1986 143 Figure 1. Modeled revenue from cutting and selling a tree, with protection costs, and the option of investing proceeds at interest 83 Tables 1. Time-marks in Chinese environmental history 6 2. Land formation by the Yellow River on its southern and northern courses, from 1194 to 1983 129 3. The speed of advance, and the rate of accretion, of the Yellow River delta from 1195 to 1854 130 4. Riverine and tidal flows, with related sediment transport, in the Qiantang River measured at Qibao Station 153 5. Seed-to-yield ratios for rice in late-imperial Jiaxing 209 Illustrations