River control, merchant philanthropy, and environmental change in nineteenth-century China

Kim analyzes merchant-funded infrastructure projects on the Upper Yangzi River in 19th-century China (1805–1840). She demonstrates how merchants' philanthropic investments in navigation and flood control significantly promoted commerce and simultaneously triggered profound environmental transformations. The paper situates merchant philanthropy within China's unique moral economy and technological history, illustrating the complex interplay between benevolent acts, economic development, and ecological impact. It sheds light on how seemingly altruistic endeavors can have far-reaching, often unintended, consequences on both human society and the natural environment.