Publisher Description

Robert Weller's richly documented account describes the extraordinary transformations which have taken place in Chinese and Taiwanese responses to the environment across the twentieth century. The book focuses on nature tourism, anti-pollution movements, and policy implementation to show how the global spread of western ideas about nature has interacted with Chinese traditions. Inevitably differences of understanding across groups have caused problems in administering environmental reforms. They will have to be resolved if the dynamic transformations of the 1980s are to be maintained in the twenty-first century.

Author Biography

Robert P. Weller is Professor of Anthropology and Research Associate of the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs at Boston University. His numerous books and articles on China and Taiwan range from religion to political change, including most recently Civil Life, Political Change, and Globalization in Asia (editor, 2005).

Table of Contents

1. Discovering nature; 2. Night of the living dead fish; 3. New natures; 4. Stories of stone; 5. Garbage wars and spiritual environments; 6. On 'Policies from above and countermeasures from below'; 7. Globals and locals.

Review

'... interesting and rich in cultural and historical discourse. ... an achievement of environmental sociological endeavour ... a useful base for further fruitful analysis. This anthropological book on the environment should be recommended to those scholars who are watching the ever-changing social contexts in modern Asia.' Anthropos

Review Quote

'… interesting and rich in cultural and historical discourse. … an achievement of environmental sociological endeavour … a useful base for further fruitful analysis. This anthropological book on the environment should be recommended to those scholars who are watching the ever-changing social contexts in modern Asia.' Anthropos

Promotional "Headline"

A description of the transformations in Chinese and Taiwanese responses to the environment across the twentieth century.

Description for Bookstore

A description of the extraordinary transformations which have taken place in Chinese and Taiwanese responses to the environment across the twentieth century. The comparison between China and Taiwan reveals surprising similarities, showing how globalization and shared cultural traditions have outweighed political differences in shaping their environments.

Description for Library

A description of the extraordinary transformations which have taken place in Chinese and Taiwanese responses to the environment across the twentieth century. The comparison between China and Taiwan reveals surprising similarities, showing how globalization and shared cultural traditions have outweighed political differences in shaping their environments.

Details