What constructed a water town? What shaped the life of communities that are surrounded by water? Using the case of Wenzhou, a city with extensive water systems and rich experiences with rivers and oceans, this module examines the spatial history of water surrounding this city. As this module demonstrates, water in a city is not merely a natural resource or a channel of transport; instead, it is a contested zone where a variety of actors negotiate local order and distribute social, economic, and cultural capital.

Facing east to the ocean, Wenzhou had three major rivers flowing from the eastern mountains to the sea: the Ou River, Feiyun River, and Ao River. The inhabitants had long developed ways to survive the coastal weather. They built seawalls and water gates to prevent flooding, especially during typhoons and rainy seasons. They also relied on an extensive water system, the Wenruitang River, to transport goods and irrigate lands. However, contrary to the view that Wenzhou communities only adapted to the rivers and the oceans, the formation of water ecologies in Wenzhou was also greatly influenced by political deliberation and communal development.

This module explores two aspects of the spatial history of Wenzhou waters. First, it examines the evolution of the Wenruitang River. This water system contains natural streams originating from mountains and other main rivers. It also contains canals that were built after the accumulation of sand. Residents built these canals not only for irrigation, but also for boundary-making purposes. The abandoned seawalls now serve as markers between communities. Thus, the entire “tang” river system continued to expand, while communities consistently divided new lands based on economic and social deliberation. Drawing on newly available archives and local sources, this module elaborates on, and maps, the development of the Wenruitang River during the modern era (circa 1800s-1950s), including the construction of seawalls, water gates, and canals. It also explores the political and economic causes behind each major change of the river, with a focus on the interaction between the environment and local communities.

The second aspect focuses on festivals and rituals. While canals became an integral part of daily life in Wenzhou, they also served as an important site for festivals and entertainment, including the famous dragon boat races. Similar to many regions in China, Wenzhou celebrated the dragon boat festival annually in every county. Yet this tradition was also deeply embedded in popular religions and local politics, as local communities had long utilized this competition as a way to settle disputes and restructure their relationships with neighboring villages. Recent studies have demonstrated how this tradition was developed and maintained during the late imperial and modern periods. This module further uses some primary sources and maps to reveal the spatial structure of this practice.