Constructing Embankments into Polders:Reclamation,Settlement,and Environment in Modern Dongtinghu Lake Area:A Case Study of Nanzhou
The polders(di-yuan)are not only essential infrastructure for agricultural production in the Dongtinghu Lake area,but also the living space of local villagers,thus forming the primary settlement landscape there.After the breach of Ouchi dike in the second year of Xianfeng,the Jingjiang River was diverted south into Dongtinghu Lake.Sedimentation of silt and sand accumulated over years.By the Tongzhi period,numerous sandbanks formed in the northwest corner of the lake,stretching for hundreds of miles to create"Nanzhou".Due to the encroachment of land by both the gentry and the poor,legal disputes were rampant.In the early years of Guangxu,Xiangfu(local army in Hunan collaborated with Fansi(administrative magistrate)and Jiaosi(legislative magistrate)to survey these sandbanks and designated them as official lands.They divided them into official lands and offcial wasteland and issued"Nanzhou Rehabilitation Regulations",formally implementing a policy allowing civilian tenants on official islands.This involved government recruitment of tenants who would then pass down their tenancy rights while paying rent(also known as"Fanzhao").Subsequently,a large number of immigrants moved in for reclamation,constructing embankments and further developing the lake area.In the 20th year of Guangxu,Nanzhou Zhili Ting(independent sub-prefecture)was officially established with jurisdiction extending over Huarong,Anxiang,Wuling and Longyang counties.Through years of cultivation and management by indigenous and immigrant populations,by early Republic era period,the sandbanks and wastelands within Nanzhou were successfully embanked into fertile fields and were prospered with an increasing population leading to formation of rural settlements.Examining the process of settlement formation and its distribution pattern,Nanzhou mainly featured three types of settlements:concentrated settlements,mixed settlements,and dispersed settlements.Concentrated settlements appeared earlier but were less common,while dispersed settlements and mixed settlements,either scattered throughout the embankments or extending along the embankment lines,were more prevalent.The formation of settlement patterns in Nanzhou was the result of long-term economic development and environmental changes in the Dongtinghu Lake area.To a certain extent,it influenced the ecological environment and governance of Dongtinghu Lake in modern times.
Dongtinghu Lake DistrictEmbankmentsPolderSettlementEnvironment
NETL
NSTL
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