Rise And Fall Of The Late Qing Dynasty Xianghu Water Conservancy Choice

Located in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang Province, Xiang Lake played an important rule inimpoundment and irrigation since its formation. Living nearby the lake, part of thenine townships’ residents who gained the benefits of the water gradually formed aninterest group. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the decline of naturalenvironment, artificial environment and the water conservancy facilities, the ninetownships’ demands for Xiang Lake’s irrigation decreased gradually, so did the WaterConservancy function. In the late of Qing Dynasty, Xiang Lake was so silted that theinterest group gradually towards disintegration due to the vanish of the commoninterests, Xiang Lake was difficult to sustain with its impoundment and irrigationfunction. In1903, Gentry Huang Yuanshou who was deeply affected by the modernreform ideas proposed that he can reclaim Xiang Lake by setting up a company. Theproposal was different from the traditional suggestion on reclaiming Xiang Lake; ithas obvious characteristics of The Times. Therefore, Xiang Lake began to face itsfunction transformation and selection.Huang Yuanshou’ suggestion has close relationship with the historicalbackground and social environment. The three reforms of late Qing Dynastypromoted the development of modern social transformation of China, the localsociety was also incorporated in the trend of modernization. At the same time, underthe influence of industrial salvation, new types of agricultural companies alsoemerged. Huang had traveled for many years, knew much about the methods of thereformation of modern society, so he intended to set up Houzheng CultivationCompany in his hometown just as the model of Tonghai Company and TianyiCompany. At the beginning of20th century, Huang proposed to the governor ofZhejiang Provence twice, his reports analyzed the reasons as well as the measures ofreclaiming Xiang Lake. Simultaneously, he amended the articles of association asrequired, and got the official recognition. Unfortunately, the matter was finally leavedunsettled, because the villagers failed to reach agreement on interest coordination.Although Huang’s goals failed to achieve, the proposals conformed to the trend of social development, and has an un-ignored impact on Xiang Lake’s thedevelopment during the Republican period, it is also the starting point of Xiang Lake’sfunctional transformation. Mainly based on the local documents, county annals,genealogies and historical data, this article conducts a comprehensive study aboutthe forming background, text interpretation, submission process, official response,social effects, and historical position of Huang’s suggestion. Meanwhile, I would liketo analyze the historical relationship between the Huang clan and Xiang Lake, inorder to make a further exploration of the thoughts transformation of localintellectuals, and their attempts and explorations to solve the complex local affairs inthe social transformation of modern China.