Foreword.- Introduction: Rivers and the River Civilizations.- The Yellow River and the Yellow River Civilization.- The Yellow River Civilization and the Yangtze River Civilization.- The Yellow River Civilization and the River Civilizations of the World.- The Yellow River and Its People.- The Yellow River and Its Sustainable Development.- Bibliography.
Jianxiong Ge is a famous Chinese Historical Geographer and an expert in the studies of Chinese history and demographic history. He is Professor and Former Director of the Institute of Historical Geography of Fudan University in Shanghai, and Director of the Fudan University Library. He is one of the first two recipients of the doctoral degree in humanities in the People’s Republic of China. He is Member of Chinese National Committee for the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (CNC-IGBP). He is Editorial Board Member of HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY, etc. His research interests include historical geography and human geography.
Yunsheng Hu specializes in the research into the Hui Nationality in Henan Province, China. He is an expert in Huisology and has visited agglomerations of Hui nationality in more than 100 counties in Henan and collected almost all the ethnographies and inscriptions in these areas. Yunsheng Hu has published more than 40 theses on Huisology.
Qingyong Wang is Professor of Tianjin University of Technology and is the invited translator of The Commercial Press and Routledge in the China Perspectives series and the translation instructor in the Yellow River Xiaolangdi Project. His research areas include Chinese culture and its translation into English, Chinese history translation, English and American literature, nineteenth century and twentieth century American novels. He has published more than 20 papers on China’s core journals.
This book explores the relationship between rivers and ethics in China, with a particular focus on the health of the Yellow River and China’s sustainable development. Though the book falls into the category of East Asian History, it is an interdisciplinary academic work that addresses not only history, but also culture, human geography and physical geography.
It traces the changes in the Yellow River over time and examines the origin and developmental course of Chinese civilization, which has always been closely intertwined with the Yellow River. It also draws comparisons between the Yellow River and the Yangtze, Nile, Tigris, Euphrates and Indus rivers to provide insights into how they have contributed to civilizations. At the same time, it discusses the lessons learned from people’s taming the Yellow River.
Most significantly, the book explores the relationship between humans and the environment from an ethical standpoint, making it an urgent reminder of the crucial role that human activities play in environmental issues concerning the Yellow River so as to achieve a sustainable development for China’s “mother river.” The intended audience includes academic readers researching East Asian and Chinese history & culture, geography, human geography, historical geography, the environment, river civilizations, etc., as well as history and geography lovers and members of the general public who are interested in the Yellow River and the civilization that has evolved around it.