A Political Historical Examination of the Tianhu Embankment Case at Dongting Lake (1937–1949)

Abstract

Abstract Water disputes between Hunan and Hubei provinces persisted from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, and the Tianhu Embankment case stands as a representative conflict between the two provinces concerning lake and river management. The dispute originated from the construction of embankments by people from Hunan in the Datong Lake, a sub-lake of Dongting Lake. People from Hubei argued that the embankments significantly reduced the flood storage capacity of Dongting Lake and that river floods would directly inundate the riverside counties. On the contrary, people from Hunan argued that the construction of the Tianhu Embankment did not hinder water management and that the key to solving the problem of water disasters lay in dredging rivers and not in destroying the fertile farmland that tens of thousands of people relied on for survival. From 1936 until the collapse of the Guomindang government’s rule on mainland China, a dispute lasting over a decade unfolded over the issue of dismantling the Tianhu Embankment. Both provinces used various tactics, such as leveraging local interpersonal networks, creating public opinion through news media, and using “people-oriented” rhetoric. This issue was frequently mentioned in official correspondences between the Executive Yuan of the Guomindang government and the two provinces. Numerous high-ranking officials from both provinces were involved in the dispute, and it even escalated to the point where Chiang Kai-shek had to intervene. Though the case remained unresolved for a long time, it was temporarily concluded at the end of 1947 with the symbolic dismantling of nine outlets in the major dikes of the Dongheng East Islet and the Orphan Embankment. However, these outlets were soon refilled by people from Hunan, making the case an unresolved legacy of the Guomindang Government on the mainland. Reviewing the development and outcome of this case, the Guomindang Government always appeared as a conciliator in the dispute, but ended up yielding ground and making a muted exit. The helplessness and impotence that the Nationalist Government displayed in resolving this problem vividly illustrate its weak governance capability.