This carefully researched study of the land use and environmental history of the Meihuashan region of southwest China is based on several years of ethnographic research carried out during the 1990s. Five villages were studied in depth, though Coggins (geography and Asian studies, Simon's Rock College, Bard) provides histories for the whole area. The book relates practices before and after 1949, to provide a full historical background to current practices of hunting, agriculture, sacred spaces, and attitudes towards the environment. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)