A Study On Mu Long Shu (Book Of Wooden Dragon)

Mu long (wooden dragon), a tool tending to control the Yellow River inancient China, was created by Chen Yaozuo in Song Dynasty. Jia Lu of YuanDynasty also used it in river control. However, further details could hardly befound in literature, and the exact structure of mu long remained unknownduring Ming and Qing Dynasty. In the 5th year during the Qianlong decades,Gao Bin took the advice of Li Bing and made mu long to bring the YellowRiver under control at the spot of Qingkou, which was considered essential inriver control in Qing Dynasty. In the 16th year, Emperor Qianlong inspectedmu long and indited a poem in his south tour. The poem and lauds Li Bingpresented to the Emperor was compiled with other compositions afterwards, inthe name of Mu Long Shu (Book of Wooden Dragon).In the thesis, based on MLS, along with related documents on rivercontrol, local records, royal archives and so on, the edition and year ofaccomplishment of MLS was examined mostly by textual research, leading toa conclusion that the principal part of it was probably accomplished in the 16thyear of Qianlong decades. And MLS has only one block-printed edition as faras know. The main difference of each edition was the binding and layout. Theillustrated explanation and the regulations were the central part of MLS,regulating sizes, materials and styles of each component of mu long. Its shapeand structure can then be made certain, with a possibility to be reconstructed.In the thesis, the materials, factures and functions of each component of mulong were studied in detail, the mooring style of the multiple-layer raft, cablesand calculations of mu long were also analyzed, the prices of work materialsdiscussed.Practices of river control and the evolution of mu long were retrospectedon the basis of MLS and related documents, the efficacy of mu long wasevaluated as well, compared with traditional tools in river control.Since the existence in the 5^th year of Qianlong decades, mu long was usedin different places in near upon 100 years. Emperor Qianlong inspected mulong several times in his south tour, and instructed the exact position andaction of mu long. The sands were silted up underneath mu long, changing thedirection of the Yellow River to a certain extent. Mu long was then worthy ofattention in the history of tools in river control.