Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change
Climate and Society in Chinese History
- Xinshuai Ren
- Wenxiang Wu
- Quansheng Ge
- Jianxin Cui
- Xueqin Zhang
- Andrea Seim
- Martin K. Skoglund
- Ke Wang
- Maochou Liu
- Jiahui Cheng
- Zhaoqi Zeng
- Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist
2025-11-30
This article reviews 292 studies, published between 1980 and 2024, on the relationship between climate change and human history in China ( c . 770 bce –1949 ce ), in both Chinese and English. We synthesize key findings, highlight debates and consensus, and identify future research directions, focusing on the causal links between changes in climate and human societies. Despite significant progress, challenges remain, including uneven temporal and regional coverage, a focus on agrarian societies, an emphasis on crises, and limited multi‐temporal and comparative regional analyses. Recent trends highlight quantitative assessments of the causal effects of climate change on society, the influence of various climatic factors, and regional and social variations. Methodologically, there is a shift toward higher‐resolution data, greater quantification, and stronger interdisciplinary integration. The review concludes with recommendations to refine the framework for studying historical climate–society interactions. This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Ideas and Knowledge Climate, History, Society, Culture > Disciplinary Perspectives Climate, History, Society, Culture > Major Historical Eras