"From the Yangtze to the Yellow River, China is traversed by great waterways, which have defined its politics and ways of life for centuries...In The Water Kingdom, Ball takes us on a grand journey through China's past and present, showing how the complexity and energy of the country and its history repeatedly come back to the challenges, opportunities, and inspiration provided by the waterways. Drawing on stories from travelers and explorers, poets and painters, bureaucrats and activists, all of whom have been influenced by an environment shaped and permeated by water, Ball explores how the ubiquitous relationship of the Chinese people to water has made it an enduring metaphor for philosophical thought and artistic expression. From the Han emperors to Mao, the ability to manage the waters -- to provide irrigation and defend against floods -- was a barometer of political legitimacy, often resulting in engineering works on a gigantic scale. It is a struggle that continues today, as the strain of economic growth on water resources may be the greatest threat to China's future." -- Publisher's description

Introduction: rain on the Summer Palace -- The great rivers -- Yangtze and Yellow: the axes of China's geography -- Out of the water -- The myths and origins of ancient China -- Finding the way -- Water as source and metaphor in Daoism and Confucianism -- Channels of power -- How China's waterways shaped its political landscape -- Voyages of the eunuch admiral -- How China explored the world -- Rise and fall of the hydraulic state -- Taming the waters by bureaucracy -- War on the waters -- Rivers and lakes as sites and instruments of conflict -- Mao's dams -- The technocratic vision of a new China -- The fluid art of expression -- How water infuses Chinese painting and literature -- Water and China's future -- Threats, promises and a new dialogue.