It was fitting that on Liu Heping’s November 1st talk on the “Empire of Water” the day had been overcast and rainy, and Oberlin was in flood advisory. Approximately 50-60 Oberlin students, faculty, and residents braved the weather to hear Liu speak on his new book project, where he applies a historical analysis to Song dynasty paintings, specifically focusing on the representation of flood control and other hydrological technology. Through examining paintings such as 大禹治水 (Yu the Great Controls the Water) and other Song era paintings and poems, Liu explained the relationship between power and hydrological technology, stating that “if you control the water, you govern the empire.”
Liu examined the very detailed representations of the technology used to control and utilize flowing water in one particular Song era landscape scroll. He showed tools such as the lochs, dams, dikes, and even grain mills and clocks, that are documented in great detail in these paintings, in addition the cityscape of the Song imperial capital of Kaifeng. Through a trained eye and a historical perspective, Liu is able to spot elements of the scroll paintings that even other historians may miss; after all, he has been looking at this scroll since his PhD research at Yale in the late 90s. His analysis includes maps, poems, and stories to complement and contextualize the paintings, and to give a full understanding of the importance of water to empire.
His presentation was followed by a brief Q&A, where the extent of Liu’s knowledge on the role of the natural world to Song empire is quite apparent. He talked about the effect of intense deforestation on landslides and flooding during this period, perhaps providing an example to keep in mind as humans continue to build and alter the space around us.
This event was sponsored by the Oberlin Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment, as well as Oberlin’s departments of Art History, East Asian Studies, and Environmental Studies. Special thanks to Bonnie Cheng for her contribution to this event.
