1 - Prologue

Summary

Landscape: a river, a road, a ridge

Three features define the Daoyi landscape. Maps 1.1 and 1.2 locate the village and surrounding communities that are the subject of this book in relation to Shenyang, the capital of modern Liaoning province and of Fengtian Prefecture during the Qing (1644–1911). Figure 1.1 depicts Daoyi village (Daoyi tun) today, based on personal visits in 1985,1987, and 1990, and identifies all three geographic features.

The river, called the Pu, divides the village in half. One of many shallow streams that meander through the broad plain of the Liao River valley, it is unnavigable and prone to periodic flooding. Past floods have left scattered ponds in and around the village, as well as several hallows filled with mud. Side creeks have carved deep gullies that are now thick with vegetation. Except for some recent rice paddy, there is little irrigation. The villagers use the Pu for domestic water and little else.

The road, which intersects the river, is the major route connecting Shenyang to the provinces of Jilin and Inner Mongolia to the northeast and northwest respectively. One of five county highways today, this was an imperial post road during the Qing. While most residential housing is away from the main road, along heavily rutted mud tracks, littered with animal droppings, the road itself is well paved and well maintained, lined with small, colorfully decorated restaurants and inns, as well as other stores and businesses. Traffic is heavy; and villagers go to the city and back frequently since the 18-kilometer trip takes less than an hour.

The ridge lies several hundred meters north of the present village.