1642 Yellow River flood

Last updated

The 1642 Yellow River flood or Kaifeng flood was a man-made disaster in October, 1642, that principally affected Kaifeng and Xuzhou.

Kaifeng is located on the south bank of the Yellow River, prone to violent flooding throughout its history. During the early Ming dynasty, the town was the site of major floods in 1375, 1384, 1390, 1410, and 1416. [1] By the mid-15th century, the Ming had completed restoration of the area's flood-control system[ how? ] and operated it with general success for over a century.

The 1642 flood, however, was not natural, but directed by the Ming governor of the city[ who? ] in the hopes of using the floodwaters to break the six-month siege the city had endured from the peasant rebels led by Li Zicheng. [2]

The dikes were burst in an attempt to flood the rebels, but the water destroyed Kaifeng. According to another account, the rebels under Li Zicheng intended to use the river to flood the imperial forces. "Both the defenders and Li then tried using the Yellow River against each other," John W. Dardess of the University of Kansas wrote, "the defenders attempted to breach the dikes and wash away Li's army, while Li did the same to flood the city and destroy it. Li won. On October 8, 1642, Li's men cut the dikes, and a rain-swollen Yellow River burst through with a tremendous war, flooding Kaifeng..." [3] Harry Miller of the University of South Alabama wrote that "Both sides tried to puncture the dikes on the Yellow River, in order to enlist flood as an ally. Finally, on October 7, the rain-swelled river burst through the weakened dikes in two places." [4]

In any event, 300,000 of the 378,000 residents were killed by the flood and ensuing peripheral disasters such as famine and plague. [5] If treated as a natural disaster, it would be one of the deadliest floods in history. [ citation needed ]

After this disaster the city was abandoned until 1662 when it was rebuilt under the rule of the Kangxi Emperor in the Qing dynasty. Archaeological research in the city has provided evidence for the 1642 flood and subsequent occupation in 1662. [6] It remained a rural backwater city of diminished importance and experienced several other less devastating floods.

The flood also brought an end to the "golden age" of the Jewish settlement of China, said to span about 1300–1642. China's small Jewish population, estimated at around 5,000 people, was centered at Kaifeng. Furthermore, the flood destroyed the synagogue and most of the community's irreplaceable Torah.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ming dynasty</span> Imperial dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644

The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng, numerous rump regimes ruled by remnants of the Ming imperial family—collectively called the Southern Ming—survived until 1662.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow River</span> Major river in China

The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of 5,464 km (3,395 mi) and a watershed of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi). Beginning in the Bayan Har Mountains, the river flows generally eastwards before entering the 1,500 km (930 mi) long Ordos Loop, which runs northeast at Gansu through the Ordos Plateau and turns east in Inner Mongolia. The river then turns sharply southwards to form the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi, turns eastwards at its confluence with the Wei River, and flows across the North China Plain before emptying into the Bohai Sea. The river is named for the yellow color of its water, which comes from the large amount of sediment discharged into the water as the river flows through the Loess Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaifeng</span> City in Henan, China

Kaifeng is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is most known for having been the Chinese capital during the Northern Song dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Zicheng</span> 17th-century Chinese rebel leader

Li Zicheng, born Li Hongji, also known by his nickname, the Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who helped overthrow the Ming dynasty in April 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the Yongchang Emperor of the short-lived Shun dynasty before his death a year later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu Sangui</span> Chinese general and rebel (1612–1678)

Wu Sangui, courtesy name Changbai (長白) or Changbo (長伯), was a Chinese military leader who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty. In Chinese folklore, Wu Sangui is regarded as a disreputable Han Chinese traitor for his defection over to the Manchu invaders, suppression of the Southern Ming resistance and execution of the Yongli Emperor. Wu eventually double-crossed both of his masters, the Ming and the Qing dynasties.

The Chongzhen Emperor, personal name Zhu Youjian, courtesy name Deyue (德約), was the 17th and last emperor of the Ming dynasty. He reigned from 1627 to 1644. "Chongzhen", the era name of his reign, means "honorable and auspicious."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Shanhai Pass</span> 1644 battle in China

The Battle of Shanhai Pass, fought on May 27, 1644 at Shanhai Pass at the eastern end of the Great Wall, was a decisive battle leading to the beginning of the Qing dynasty rule in China proper. There, the Qing prince-regent Dorgon allied with former Ming general Wu Sangui to defeat rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty, allowing Dorgon and the Qing army to rapidly conquer Beijing.

Zhao Yingcheng was a Chinese philosopher and politician during the Ming dynasty. He and his brother Zhao Yingdou, also a mandarin, held important government posts in the 1660s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Chengchou</span> Chinese general and official (1593–1665)

Hong Chengchou, courtesy name Yanyan and art name Hengjiu, was a Chinese official who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties. He was born in present-day Liangshan Village, Yingdu Town, Fujian Province, China. After obtaining the position of a jinshi in the imperial examination in 1616 during the reign of the Wanli Emperor, he joined the civil service of the Ming Empire and served as an official in Shaanxi. During the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor, he was promoted to Minister of War and Viceroy of Jiliao. In 1642, he surrendered and defected to the Manchu-led Qing Empire after his defeat at the Battle of Songjin. He became one of the Qing Empire's leading Han Chinese scholar-politicians. While he was in office, he encouraged the Manchu rulers to adopt Han Chinese culture and provided advice to the Qing government on how to consolidate its control over the former territories of the fallen Ming Empire. Apart from Dorgon and Fan Wencheng (范文程), Hong Chengchou was regarded as one of the most influential politicians in the early Qing dynasty. However, he was also villainised by the Han Chinese for his defection to the Qing Empire and for his suppression of the Southern Ming dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Chuanting</span>

Sun Chuanting, courtesy name Boya (百雅), art name Baigu (白谷), was born in Shanxi; he was the late Ming dynasty's Minister of War, and Field Marshal (Dushi). He led 10,000 Ming troops against Li Zicheng's 70,000 troops. He was defeated and killed by Li in the Battle of Tongguan (1643).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiashen Incident</span> 1644 rebellion in Beijing, China which deposed the Ming dynasty

The Jiashen Incident, also known as the Battle of Beijing, took place in 1644 in the areas surrounding Beijing, and was fought between forces of the incumbent Ming dynasty and the Shun dynasty founded by peasant rebel leader Li Zicheng. It eventually resulted in the collapse of the Ming dynasty. Remnants of the Ming imperial family, whose regime is known as the Southern Ming dynasty in historiography, would continue to rule parts of southern China until 1662.

The Yellow River has been recognized by Chinese as "the mother river". But in ancient times, people living by the Yellow River often suffered its floods. Xuzhou was one such city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transition from Ming to Qing</span> Period of Chinese history (1618–1683)

The transition from Ming to Qing or the Manchu conquest of China from 1618 to 1683 saw the transition between two major dynasties in Chinese history. It was a decades-long conflict between the emerging Qing dynasty, the incumbent Ming dynasty, and several smaller factions. It ended with the consolidation of Qing rule, and the fall of the Ming and several other factions.

The 1375 Yellow River flood was a natural disaster affecting the area around Kaifeng, China during the early Ming dynasty. Contemporary sources mentioned a death toll of between 15,000 and 25,000 people, most of them farmers. The philosopher Wang Yangming mentioned the 1375 Yellow River flood as an example of how even a virtuous man can be destroyed by the power of nature.

The 1391 Yellow River flood was a major natural disaster during the early Ming dynasty in China.

The 1448 Yellow River flood was a major natural disaster affecting over 2000 li of the Yellow River. The flood threatened to destroy the Grand Canal port of Linqing and led to the Ming dynasty constructing major public works in Shawan to prevent a recurrence. The banks and dikes only lasted four years until the 1452 flood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1494 Yellow River flood</span> Natural Disaster

The 1494 Yellow River flood was a natural disaster in China during the Ming dynasty.

Geng Zhongming was a Chinese military general who lived through the transition from the Ming (1368–1644) to the Qing (1644–1912) dynasty, during which he served both sides. His grandson Geng Jingzhong was one of the Three Feudatories who rebelled against Qing rule in the 1670s.

Events from the year 1662 in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Late Ming peasant rebellions</span>

The late Ming peasant rebellions were a series of peasant revolts during the last decades of the Ming dynasty lasting from 1628 to 1644. They were primarily caused by natural disasters in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan. At the same time, the She-An Rebellion and Later Jin incursions forced the Ming government to cut funding for the postal service, which resulted in the mass unemployment of men in the provinces hit hard by natural disasters. Unable to cope with three major crises at the same time, the Ming dynasty collapsed in 1644.

References

  1. Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry.SUNY Series in Chinese Local Studies: The Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty . SUNY Press, 1996. ISBN   0791426874, 9780791426876. Accessed 16 Oct 2012.
  2. Lorge, Peter A. War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900-1795, p. 147. Routledge, 2005. ISBN   9780415316910.
  3. John W. Dardess, Ming China, 1368-1644: A Concise History of a Resilient Empire (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012) p. 132
  4. Harry Miller, State Versus Gentry in Late Ming Dynasty China, 1572-1644 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) p. 155
  5. Xu Xin. The Jews of Kaifeng, China: History, Culture, and Religion, p. 47. Ktav Publishing Inc, 2003. ISBN   978-0-88125-791-5.
  6. Storozum, Michael J., et al. Geoarchaeological evidence of the AD 1642 Yellow River flood that destroyed Kaifeng, a former capital of dynastic China, Scientific Reports, 2020.