| This dissertation focuses on the nature and causes of dynastic decline by examining the efforts of Qing (1644-1911) river conservancy officials to control flooding on the Yellow River in the last years of the Daoguang (1821-51) reign. In particular, questions concerning imperial influence, corruption, administrative control, fiscal problems, and technical competency are examined. Major sources include archival documents from the Palace Museum Archives and the No. One Historical Archives, gazetteers, biographical writings, and published materials. The first chapter describes the geologic, geographic and hydraulic circumstances which make the Yellow River especially difficult to control, outlines the long-term development of the river conservancy bureaucracy, and traces the origins of hydraulic and administrative problems from late Ming (1368-1644) times to the early nineteenth century. The second chapter utilizes the 1837 debate over the introduction of brick as a dike construction material to examine the problem of innovation and assess the way in which imperial priorities affected hydraulic decisions. The three subsequent chapters focus on the impact of floods which took place along the Yellow River at Xiangfu (1841), Taoyuan (1842) and Zhongmou (1843). These chapters describe government response to flood disasters and detail subsequent relief measures, methods of labor organization and control, and repair techniques. The conclusion draws material from all five chapters to support the contention that fiscal malaise, administrative decline and long-term hydraulic developments all limited the state's ability to respond to the crisis of the Yellow River control system. |
