| The Dongting Lake area floods constitute a serious problem in China. To lessen those floods, we have to realize the rule of their occurrence. With the northern bank of the Jing River blocked up, most counties of the area suffered from floods every five to seventeen years. After the Four Mouths caine into being. most of the counties were visited by floods every two to four years. Up to now once every two years. In the Qing Dynasty, floods in the Dongting Lake area frequently occurred and this brought about tremendous losses to society, human beings and animals hurt and dying, houses falling off and people losing their homes and moving a way without enough food and clothing. Or sometimes when fields were submerged, there were no harvest, causing a lot of beggars. Under those circumstances, people lived an uncertain life and the community was in turbulence. As a result, a loin and deteriarating scene was produced in that area. This writer believes that the main affection brought by the floods is the loss of lives and property and economic recession. We make a study of the affection of floods on society so as to get people to produce consciousness against fioods, and against subjectivities, Thus the affection of floods on society may be lessened and the aim may be achieved of lessening floods and defending the lives of the people, promoting production and improve economic benefit.The making of the Dor~ting Lake floods is complicated. Generally speaking, it originates from natural factors and man - made factors. Natural factors include geographical conditions and climate, which can t be insurmountable. But man - made factors can be overcome by regulating human behavior, thus lessening the harm caused by it. This writer believes that most of the Dongting Lake area floods are caused by natural factors, but artificial actions are involved, such as destroyed vegetation, silted sludge and fields made by damming the marginal water, all of which shouldn t be ignored. That s why the floods have not been avoided though preventing floods by water control has been effected beforeThe questions of bringing the lake under control in the Qing Dynasty were whether to yield field to lake or to block the water from the Changjiang River by damming the mouth, whether to save the north by deserting the south or to take the north and south into consideration. These issues were not settled. At the bottom of the arguments is that of whether to deposit or to discharge. This writer believes it was not advisable to yield fields to lake, because the use of the vacant fields in the marginal part of the lake for farming was compatible with the natural tendency of the increase of the silt and population. From the angle of history it is necessary to gain fields from the marginal water so as to supply food to the growing population . If the fields were yielded to the lake, the deposit of silt would be serious, the deposited waters would be reduced, and floods would occur in the same way. The right way is to prohibit getting fields from the marginal and contending for fields with the lake. But boats for digging earth are used to clear silt so as to enlarge reservation. Blocking the river by damming the mouth of the lake is worth discussing. But since the Xian Feng and Tong Zhi periods of the Qing Dynasty, four mouths were formed. If the measure was taken, it would increase the volume2of the Changjiang River. Water must have its way out, so the main way is to dredge. It is better to take into consideration the North and the South. Otherwise, floods in season would reach the three cities of Wuhan in the north and the coastal towns in the south. "Deposit and discharge" should be covered. In flood season discharge is the primary way, namely, to dredge the floods into the ChangjiangRiver, thus reducing the water in the lake, in dry season, deposit is the primary way, namely, to conduct water to irrigate the fields and keep fish and put in other uses. Thus the utilization ratio of the water is raised.As to the policy of the ov...
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