Water, Dike, and Temple: Water Deity Worship and Dike Management in the Jianghan Plain, 1788–2013

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between water deity worship and dike management in the Jianghan plain of central China from 1788 to 2013. The Jianghan plain is a water-rich area that has frequently suffered from water calamities. Hence, the building and maintenance of the dike system there has been critical to the local society and economy. In late imperial times, the Jianghan people prayed to water deities, asking them to protect the integrity of the dikes. Many iron statues of oxen were also erected on the dikes to ensure their integrity, a tradition encouraged by imperial edicts for moral or psychological reasons. Nonetheless, if a dike ruptured, the emperors punished the responsible officials. Although China underwent dramatic political changes in the Republican era (1912–1949), the tradition of water deity worship continued. After 1949, however, the idea of “man can conquer nature” prevailed, and with a better-maintained dike system, the people of Jianghan no longer prayed to water deities. Instead, many water conservancy projects were turned into tourist destinations.