A Narrative of Cultural Encounter in Southern China: Wu Xing Fights the 'Jiao'

(Paperback)

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Late in the 8th century, under the Tang dynasty, a local magnate led a land reclamationproject on the Fujian coast that is emblematic of the encounter between the Sinitic culture ofthe Yellow River basin in northern China and the local cultures of the south. Later accountssay the drainage canals were undercut by a jiao, a mythological dragon-like beast that was astand-in for the crocodiles that once inhabited the south China coast. The book uses thisincident to explore the interaction between the indigenous pre-Sinitic people and culture ofthe Fujian coast with the Sinitic immigrants who arrived in growing numbers through the 8thcentury and after.

Reviews

By absorbingly interlacing historical narrative with allegory, Hugh Clark informs us, as noprevious author has, of the comprehensive scope and impactful southward expansion of themedieval Chinese civilization-building project. Clarks book is a must-read for anyoneseeking knowledge of the foundations of Chinese identity formation during this pivotal time.- Don J. Wyatt, John M. McCardell,Jr. Distinguished Professor, Department of History,
Middlebury College, USA.

Over the last forty years Hugh Clark has established himself as one of our most pre-eminent historians of South China. In this book he puts a lifetime of research into its mostaccessible form, expertly weaving together the larger history of China with a very particularstory of immigration, coastal reclamation, cultural transformation, and deadly crocodiles".Andrew Chittick, the E. Leslie Peter Professor of East Asian Humanities & History, EckerdCollege, USA.

Hugh Clark brings decades of research on Medieval Chinas history and culture to thisintriguing study, which uses a legendary encounter between a Chinese official and a dragonto explore how the diverse regional and local cultures of South China were incorporated intothe Chinese state. - Terry Kleeman, Professor Emeritus of Chinese and Religious Studies,University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.

The southern paddy fields of China are now considered integral to the modern country, butit was not always so, and the present state of affairs was not inevitable. Hugh Clark haswritten imaginative microhistory introducing a little-known world of crocodiles and mythicalbeasts, economic displacement and colonial expansion, the power of local deities and -possibly - cultural resistance"- Naomi Standen, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History,University of Birmingham, Associate Member of the History Faculty, University of Oxford,USA.

Professor Hugh R. Clark is a national- and internationally-recognized expert on Songdynasty (960-1279) history. His scholarly credentials are impeccable; his publication recordis extraordinary. The tale of Wu Xing (eighth century) and his plight to save the Putian districtfrom a malevolent kraken functions in this study as a backdrop to a much more importantstory: the centuries-long reclamation efforts in China to reclaim the coastal areas of thePutian Plain in modern Fujian province. I know of no China historian writing in English whocan document and explain this processusing primary source materialswith moreauthority than Professor Hugh R. Clark". - James M. Hargett, The University of NorthCarolina-Charlotte, USA.

Author Bio

Hugh R. Clark was a member of the history and East Asian studies programs at Ursinus College (Pennsylvania) for 35 years. He is now retired from active teaching.