The landscape of the Jianghan Plain can be seen as a vivid example of this combination of old and new, past and present, reflecting the adaptive response of people living here for thousands of years. This adjustment results from climate change, geological and tectonic forces, and human interference. This thesis investigates the evolution of the Jianghan Plain's landscape from the Palaeolithic to the present. The results show that the primary determinative factors in landscape evolution are climate change, the landscape of topographical units, and the evolution of the ancient cluster of Yunmengze Lake. Human activities, such as building settlements, cultivating land, constructing water projects, and transmitting culture, have gradually changed the landscape from primeval to complex and adapted it to new situations.
This thesis adopts W. G. Hoskins' historical rural survey method in The Making of the English Landscape and uses it to conduct landscape history research in China’s landscape history. Hoskins' method can explain the early occupation and subsequent changes of the landscape over time. In contrast with Hoskins' focus on historical narratives of linear historical time and private land ownership, this study emphasizes the collective land management ways and ecological adaptation strategies in China. The results show that the resilience of Chinese landscapes lies in the fine line between natural constraints and human ingenuity, and this balance has guided the evolution of the Chinese landscape in different periods.
As an important case study, the Jianghan Plain fills gaps in long-term landscape research in China and presents a ‘Chinese solution’ in landscape history. Facing modernization, this study focuses on the urgent balance between development and cultural landscape protection. This balance makes the Jianghan Plain thrive, balancing historical understanding and current demands, and human-environment interrelationship with nature.
