How I intend to track China's environmental story that keeps unfolding

This blog is conceived as a companion to the namesake book. Due to the word count limit imposed by the publisher on my manuscript, many original materials had to be left out. The final book is also quite barren of images and other visual aids that may help readers better understand the numerous people, places, and processes described. So, you can consider the blog the B-Side of the book (does this cassette tape metaphor still work in 2025?).

For instance, the featured image above was taken by me in July 2023 in front of the Huaidian sluice gates on the Huai River. I mentioned this scene in the introduction to the first chapter of the book, “The River.” However, nothing illustrates the dramatic transformation of the Huai River better than the juxtaposition of two photographs taken at the same location over two decades apart. Photographer Stephen Voss’s photo, taken around 2001, captures the river’s deplorable state at the turn of the century. Essentially, my entire book explores the events that transpired between Voss’s photograph and mine.

Of course, the blog is going to be much more than just B-Side stories. China’s environmental saga continues to unfold. Mere months after I submitted my final manuscript, news emerged that the Tiger Leaping Gorge Dam project, which had been on hold along with the Nu River dams for nearly twenty years, had resumed in earnest (I will delve into this development in the next blog). This resumption underscores the deeply entrenched political and economic dynamics that have shaped China’s ecological struggles. At various points over the past three decades, such as during Pan Yue’s “Green Hurricanes” campaigns in the early 2000s or following the air pollution awakening of the 2010s, there were signs that these dominant dynamics might be shifting. However, the post-pandemic realities have compelled us to reassess some of that early optimism.

Below, you will find the tags that I intend to use to provide thematic coherence to the blog. These tags correspond to some of the themes I have organized my book around. They will also evolve as we gain further insights into the fundamental kinetics of Chinese environmental politics.

Developmental Environmentalism Ecological Ideology Elite Politics Green Citizens Political Economy Public Participation