XIANG LAKE: Nine Centuries of Chinese Life

by R. Keith Schoppa ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 15, 1988

In his preface, Schoppa (History/Valparaiso) asks rhetorically, ""Why. . .should we spend time at Xiang Lake?"" Most readers, unfortunately, may find themselves pondering the same question long before they have reached the end of this history of life around the 6,000-acre reservoir located near the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Xiang Lake is, Schoppa admits, ""a lake of little significance,"" but it does provide ""the. . .face of men and women dealing with the problems of human life."" It is in his inability to delineate these human features, though, that Schoppa fails in his avowed purpose: to deal in human terms with such larger matters as societal and familial relationships, ecological concerns and private interests, military and political power. In recounting the 900-year history of the area, the author relies on generalities, never on the sort of anecdotal details that might make his narrative spring to life. Part of the problem may lie in the paucity of research materials available. The text is littered with such phrases as ""we are not told. . .,"" ""there is no way of determining. . .,"" and ""the record is silent. . ."" Schoppa devotes much space to ""lineage groups"" such as the Hes and the Suns, two families prominent in the area over the years. While we are told of their tribulations, rivalries, and goals, we are never shown the particular relevance of these matters. Marauding pirates, bloodthirsty insurrectionists, invading armies, greedy entrepreneurs, and Maoist cultural revolutionaries are all treated in the same numbingly undramatic manner. Worthwhile for Chinese scholars with great patience and interest in minutiae. For the general reader, however, this will likely prove interminable and unrevealing.

Pub Date: Feb. 15, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Yale Univ. Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1988

Categories: NONFICTION