Challenging the conventional wisdom of Western environmental historians, this book examines the correlations between economic and environmental changes in the southern imperial Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (a region historically known as Lingnan, "South of the Mountains") from 1400 to 1850. Marks discusses the impact of population growth on land use patterns, the agro-ecology, and deforestation; the commercialization of agriculture and its implications; the impact of climatic change on agriculture; and the ways in which the human population responded to environmental challenges.

Robert B. Marks wears many hats, only one of which is a Stetson - he is a writer, editor, researcher, publisher, independent historian, and teacher. He has degrees in Mediaeval Studies, English Literature, and War Studies. He is the author of Diablo: Demonsbane, The EverQuest Companion, Garwulf's Corner, An Odyssey into Video Games and Pop Culture, and co-author of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Agora. In his spare time, he has done everything from make mead to historical swordfighting to rockhounding.He lives in the area of Kingston, Ontario, with his wife and two children.

List of maps, figures, and tables; Dynasties, Qing dynasty Emperors' reign dates, and weights and measures; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. 'Firs and pines a hundred spans round': the natural environment of Lingnan; 2. 'All deeply forested and wild places are not malarious': human settlement and ecological change in Lingnan, 2-1400 CE; 3. 'Agriculture is the foundation': economic recovery and development of Lingnan during the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644; 4. 'All the people have fled': war and the environment in the mid-seventeenth century crisis, 1644-83; 5. 'Rich households compete to build ships': overseas trade and economic recovery; 6. 'It never used to snow': climate change and agricultural productivity; 7. 'There is only a certain amount of grain produced': granaries and the role of the state in the food supply system; 8. 'Trade in rice is brisk:' market integration and the environment; 9. 'Population increases daily, but the land does not': land clearance in the eighteenth century; 10. 'People said that extinction was not possible': the ecological consequences of land clearance; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.