Manipulating the Yellow River and the State Formation of the Northern Song Dynasty

Abstract

By examining the Yellow River floods and the responses from the authorities in the tenth century, this chapter suggests the emergence of a new, systematic hydraulic agenda, which regarded the successful flood control of the Yellow River as a significant part of the political unity of the early Northern Song state. It investigates the changing geopolitical situation, Emperor Taizu's reflections on the river issues, various hydraulic proposals of Song officials, and flood-control practices from the late tenth to the mid-eleventh century. With insights on the evolution of these hydraulic ideologies, policies and practices, the chapter argues that the human-induced concentration of hydrological pressure on the river's northern bank led to the northward course shift in 1048. The Song state's heavy interventions in the pattern of the Yellow River were founded on the state's desire for and design of an ideal physical landscape that could help foster a beneficial political landscape. Keywords:flood control; hydraulic practices; Northern Song Dynasty; political unity; State formation; Yellow River