Review by Choice Review
This is a book about water in China in virtually any context imaginable. As Ball, a longtime former editor of Nature says, he draws on "travellers and explorers, poets and painters, philosophers, bureaucrats and activists, who have themselves struggled to come to terms with what it means to live within a world so shaped and permeated by water." Historically, water figures in ancient Chinese myths as essential for human life and as a fundamental force of nature that has always ravaged China with the relentless flooding its great rivers cause. Water is a prerequisite for agricultural abundance and urban expansion. It appears as a basic component in Chinese philosophy, one of the basic five elements. Here, Ball considers water, in political, economic, and social aspects, as a factor in environmental pollution, political corruption, and social upheaval (the Three Gorges Dam project is a case in point). The book closes with a consideration of the "fluid art of expression"--how water relates to Chinese painting, serves as a metaphor in literature, and is used by contemporary artists who perform their works in water. This book will serve diverse readers interested in China from the historical to the most contemporary perspectives. Suitable for all audiences. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. --Joseph W. Dauben, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Science writer Ball (Patterns in Nature), whose Life's Matrix is a biography of water, detours into history to examine the place of water in Chinese culture, as both real substance and metaphorical ideal. The work is structured quasi-chronologically, and after an introductory chapter on China's two great rivers-Yellow and Yangtze-Ball delves into the myths and legends of the Middle Kingdom. Working his way forward, he covers various hydrological events, which are often linked to dynastic change, and addresses myriad water-related topics, including the treasure fleets of Admiral Zheng He and a survey of warfare via water. Noting water's centrality to Chinese culture, Ball discusses water imagery and symbolism in Confucianism and Daoism, and in painting and poetry. Reaching the modern era, Ball grants due attention to Mao's symbolic swimming of the Yangtze and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Though every nation's culture, politics, and intellectual life are interrelated, Ball makes clear that it's impossible to fully understand China's without incorporating the effect of water on each of those elements, to the point where "water management becomes a moral issue" and the basis of an "orderly and 'good'" society. This is a one-stop examination of water's primacy in Chinese history, and a well-written one at that. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
From ancient times to the present, China's leaders have fixated on the management of China's rivers with projects such as the Grand Canal, built during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE), which links the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, and the massive Three Gorges Dam completed in 2006. Science writer Ball (Patterns in Nature) argues that understanding the concept of water in Chinese mythology, philosophy, language, artistic expressions, history, and government is key to understanding Chinese civilization. This work reveals that the successful administration of water resources was an important indicator of the legitimacy of rulers; philosophers used water as a metaphor for correct behavior, and artists were infatuated with representations of water. Also included are fascinating depictions of China's history of riverine warfare and the overseas explorations of Admiral Zheng He in the early 15th century. The book concludes with a chapter discussing current struggles with environmental problems such as polluted waterways and desertification. VERDICT Highly recommended for those interested in Chinese history and culture. For a more comprehensive examination of China's ecological history, see Robert Marks's China: Its Environment and History.-Joshua Wallace, Tarleton State Univ. Lib. Stephenville, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
