Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.12, 2015

 

The Turbidity and Clarity of the Rivers Jing and Wei: An Analysis of the Examination Undertaken during the Qianlong Reign and Its Implications

(Abstract)

 

Chao Xiaohong

 

A comprehensive analysis of the turbidity and clarity of the Jing and Wei Rivers over a year undertaken during the Qing Dynasty showed the Jing was often clear while the Wei was turbid, and vice versa. Which was clear and which turbid at the point of convergence varied. However, Emperor Qianlong, impressed by a line in the Book of Songs saying “The Wei River muddies the Jing,” declared that the Jing River was clear and the Wei River turbid, and officials ordered to carry out on-spot investigations came to the same conclusion. This conviction, the investigation and an imperial poem were engraved on steles, with rubbings bestowed on princes and high officials as disciplinary guides, etc. This had a direct influence on following generations’ interpretation of the lines and identification of the two rivers’ clearness and turbidity. Taking this event as a case study, this paper attempts to review the ideas of different groups about the environment, with due regard to the integration and union of different perceptions, bringing together the natural environment and social culture at multiple levels in an organic way and thus facilitating the progress of research on the history of the environment.