清代高度重視黃河治理,不僅撥付巨額帑金,還置河督、設廳汛、創體制,表現出一種前所未有的干預力度。以往研究多認為原因主要在于清承明制,"治河即所以保漕",而事實遠不止此。不可否認,在以內河水運為先的時代,只要政治中心在北、經濟中心在南這一格局不變,保障漕運即為治河的重要使命,何況清初黃河泛濫為患深重。但與此同時,在立足未穩、形勢復雜的情況下,清帝還將治河納入了建構政權合法性的戰略工程之中,救災捍患、廑念民生、祭拜大禹陵、封典河神以及探尋河源等,均為接續治統的重要考量。至清中期,盡管河難治官難選,河務問題重重,清帝仍積極探索,竭力"事河",其原因除了"保漕",尚有延續慣性、恪守祖宗"家法"的考慮。由此,作為清代最具雄心的工程之一,黃河治理不只是水利工程,更成為關涉甚重的國家政治工程,彰顯著清代的政治文化傳統。

The Qing dynasty gave a high priority to controlling the Yellow River,not only expending large sums on it but also appointing a Yellow River governor,setting up a specific office,and establishing institutions,exhibiting an unprecedented intensity of intervention.Previous research has tended to believe that the main reason for this was that since the Qing had taken over the Ming system,it saw Yellow River conservancy as a measure for supporting water transport.However,the facts show that a lot more was involved.It is undeniable that if,at times when river transport was a priority,the political center was in the north and the economic center was in the south,the protection of water transport was a major mission for river conservancy,let alone the frequent flooding of the Yellow River in the early years of the Qing dynasty.At the same time,however,under the unstable and complicated situation,the Qing emperor also included the governance of the river into the strategic project of constructing the legitimacy of the regime.The activities of disaster relief,protection of the people’s livelihood,worship at the tomb of Yu the Great,continuing the previous ruling traditions,bestowing on honors on river gods,and exploring the Yellow River’s source were all based on this important consideration.In the midQing period,despite multiple serious problems including difficulties in the Yellow River control and selection of officials,the Qing emperors still actively explored"managing the River"(shi he).Other considerations besides"protecting water transport",were the inertia of tradition and observation of the ancestral family rules.As one of the most ambitious Qing projects,the governance of the Yellow River was not only a water conservancy project but also a national political project of great importance,highlighting the political and cultural traditions of the Qing dynasty.