Tang And Song Dynasties, Jiangnan Canal Irrigation And Water Conservancy

This thesis is dedicated to the study of the impact of the Jiangnan Canal upon the irrigation system in its drainage area. The Jiangnan Canal constitutes the southern part of the Great Canal. Its drainage area, which covers the territory to the south of lower Yangtze River, was already one of the most developed areas in China during the Song Dynasty with very heavy taxes and tribute. Due to the prevailing of monsoon climate, the eastern territory of China counted much on irrigation systems for agricultural productivity. The Jiangnan Canal served just as the chief irrigation source, other than as an important transportation passage of tributes to the central government. Therefore the canal is deeply intertwined in the agricultural and economical activities of its surrounding area. Especially in the Dynasties of Tang and Song, the river network in the south-east China began to take on the appearance of today, and the modern conflict between irrigation and transportation began to emerge, and therefore the study of the Jiangnan canal of that epoch bears much significance even for modern times. This thesis will focus on the impact that the Jiangnan Canal imposed to the irrigation systems in its neighboring area. In conclusion, the Jiangnan Canal, while designed chiefly as a channel for the transportation of tributes, actually hindered the efficiency of the irrigation systems in its drainage area, which is especially severe during natural disasters.The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter presents a general account of the irrigation systems in the drainage area of Taihu Lake, aiming at providing necessary background information of the configuration of Jiangnan canal and its subordinate irrigation systems in the Tang and Song Dynasties. The second chapter describes the management of the Jiangnan Canal in the Tang and Song Dynasties. The third chapter is the central part of this thesis, dedicated to the analysis of the impacts, especially the negative ones, which the Jiangnan canal imposed to its subordinate irrigation systems. The fourth chapter summarized the reaction of irrigation systems to the Jiangnan Canal. The final chapter is a summary of the whole essay..