Description
Hydropower Nation provides a comprehensive historical examination of China’s transformation into a hydropower nation and the profound political, social, and environmental consequences of this development. Xiangli Ding traces how dam construction and hydroelectric projects became central to China’s modernization efforts, shaping state capacity, territorial control, and national identity.
The book explores how successive Chinese governments leveraged hydropower development as a tool for political consolidation and economic advancement. Through detailed case studies and archival research, Ding demonstrates the relationship between infrastructure projects and shifts in political power, from the early Republican period through the Communist era.
By situating hydropower within broader themes of environmental history and state formation, this work reveals how technological ambitions intersected with ecological realities, creating lasting impacts on China’s landscapes and communities. Essential reading for scholars of modern China, environmental history, and the politics of energy.
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