Landmarks and time-marks -- Humans v. elephants : the three thousand years war -- The great deforestation : an overview -- The great deforestation : regions and species -- War and the logic of short-term advantage -- Water and the costs of system sustainability -- Richness to riches : the story of Jiaxing -- Chinese colonialism : Guizhou and the Miao -- The riddle of longevity : why Zunhua? -- Nature as revelation -- Science and superfauna -- Imperial dogma and personal perspectives.