China Daily Africa- Andrew Moody
“Heilongjiang River is the backdrop for author’s exploration of the Sino-Russian relationship over the centuries.
Dominic Ziegler believes major geographical features can be as responsible as people for shaping history.
This is one of the themes of his new book, Black Dragon River, about the 4,500-kilometer Heilonjiang River, which forms a large part of the border between Russia and China.
He believes it had a major role in defining the relationship between two neighbors that are culturally different.
“Before I began research on the book I hadn’t been aware just how seminal the river and its terrain was in shaping the relationship between these two countries. Without being too deterministic about it, it was a case of how geography shaped geopolitics.”
Ziegler, who was speaking at the central London offices of The Economist, where he is Asia editor, says despite being the ninth largest river in the world, few pay it much attention.”(more)