Abstract: In the Qing Dynasty,the returns on land benefits,for officials,brought from river control was no less than those from the corruption of national funds.In the flood-stricken area where the Huai River and the Huang River intersect,the value of lands depends on whether it could avoid the harm of floodwater.Unauthorized civilians were forced by floods to abandon a large number of lands,while powerful groups related to bureaucrat power occupied the lands on a large scale,which gave rise to the prevalence of large estates as well as the increase in land value with power.In the land dispute between the Shandong Lake Tuan (immigrants) and the local people in Xuzhou (natives) during the late Qing Dynasty in the Huang-Huai area,Zeng Guofan's coping approach to it was considered very “fair” by the imperial court and later historians.In essence,the approach,integrating great political considerations,shifts the responsibility of the government to both victim sides and uses high-sounding official rhetoric to suppress folk norms,leaving behind endless troubles of land disputes.

Key words: water control, flooded acres of land, reclamation of wasteland, Lake Tuan, Tang Shouzhong