Contested Sovereignty over Rivers: Flood and Hydraulic Projects of the Hai River Basin in the Early 20th Century

In the early twentieth century, the Beijing-based Republican government of China sought to consolidate state power and modernize river conservancy projects on the North China Plain. Their endeavors were interrupted by a flood in 1917 when upstream rivers of the Northern Canal breached dikes and inundated the Hai River Basin. The flood caused property damage and social instability in northern cities and towns, and forced the Northern Canal to change its course. It also reduced water levels in the Hai River, a main stream that received water from the Northern Canal, and made steamship navigation impossible. Led by Western engineers, the Hai River Conservancy Commission pressured the Chinese government to make plans to restore the river course.

This paper examines the quarrels, arguments, and politics over the proposed water projects and the environmental transformation of the Hai River basin following the flood. It argues that Chinese sovereignty over the northern rivers was further weakened by a joint commission for restoring the Northern Canal. Throughout its collaboration with the Chinese water conservancy commissions, the Hai River Conservancy Commission expanded its control over the inland waterways and streams in the North China Plain. After the flood, the European and American engineers continued to expand their influence over the inland river systems by participating in the design of a grand scheme that permanently transformed the hydraulic environment of the North China Plain. These engineering schemes and water projects benefited the coastal city of Tianjin, making it an economic center and a modern port.