After the May 12 , 2008 earth-quake in Wenchuan , China ’ s anthropological disaster research received the opportunity for long-term development .However , its achievements have been relatively few , and most of the achieve-ments are only presented in the form of essays . This reflects that anthropological disaster research in China is still not mature .In particular , there is lack of ethnographic research on the occurrence and causes of disasters , and coping mechanisms . The publication of Anthropological Research on Landslide Disasters---Taking the “August 14 Landslide ” in Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County in Yunnan as a Case Study by Prof.Li Yongxiang has helped to address China ’ s defi-ciency in anthropological disaster research . This book is an ethnography about disasters based on a sturdy foundation of fieldwork; it presents a com-prehensive look at the landslide disaster scene of Xinping in the Ailao mountainous area of Yunnan , and provides very insightful discussions on mecha-nisms for preventing and coping with the disaster as well as post-disaster social changes . While studying for his Ph .D.degree at the University of Washington , Li Yongxiang , an Yi scholar who grew up in Ailao mountainous area of Yunnan , had already started his interest in disaster research in minority nationality areas of southwest China .After he received his doctoral degree at the University of Washington in 2005 , he focused his research mainly on anthropological disaster re-search .As one of the pioneer researchers on an-thropological disaster research in China , Li Yongx-iang has had to answer questions regarding the the-oretical significance and realistic value of anthropo-logical disaster research .These questions are not only related to the anthropological view on natural disasters , but also related to the academic position of anthropology in disaster research .Anthropologi-cal Research on Landslide Disasters is a book based on the experiences from fieldwork together with theories from academic thinking .Using the format of “ethnography”, the book gives very practical answers to these questions .It reflects on the au-thor ’ s efforts involving these discussions and knowledge with practical experience in the re-search, and has highly theoretical ambitions as well as pays deep realistic attention to the defini-tion of disaster and the research orientation of an-thropology in disaster research .Li’ s anthropolog-ical disaster research pays attention to the holistic interaction of the ecological surroundings , social structure , cultural conception and historical process .It investigates systematically the associa-tive processes regarding the causes and prevention measures of actual disasters; rescue and coping measures in disasters , and post -disaster recon-struction and restoration .At the same time , the book is also a theoretical practice of ecology , poli-tics, economics, and cultural perspective of an-thropology from the angle of research .It could be said that what the ethnography of Anthropological Research on Landslide Disasters tries to present is the three basic features and academic requirements in anthropological study on disasters .These are:a holistic view;a discussion of process , and a com-prehensive analysis . Anthropological Research on Landslide Disasters by Li Yongxiang , no matter if viewed from the methodology or from the theoretical aspect , reflects a mature trend of anthropology indisaster research .As the first chapter of the book emphasizes , the formation marker of the theory re-lated to anthropological disaster research lies in in-tegrating disasters with society , culture, politics, power, and economics, and, as a result, making disasters as a part of social culture .Hence , an-thropological disaster research aims to investigate comprehensively peoples ’ life experiences , and to reflect on human being ’ s living environment , so-cial structure, values, concepts, and historical practice through an analysis of disaster .By doing so, it also examines possible social cultural dilem-mas during the transformation process of the mo-dernity , and gives a broad and in -depth discus-sion on how a local society handles the impact of modernization , and how a local society maintains a sustainable life etc . For realizing this kind of “disaster research by facing the living world ” in anthropology , the way of conducting research by fieldwork ethnography is doubtlessly the best way .Currently in China , an-thropological disaster research lacks long -term fieldwork and good ethnography .As Li Yongxiang said, anthropological disaster research in China still lags behind sociological , economic , and his-torical research.However, compared with disaster research carried out by other disciplines in the so- cial sciences , the possibility of doing long -tern fieldwork in the disaster area is the most obvious advantage of anthropology .Therefore , conducting long -term and in -depth fieldwork and creating better ethnographic studies should be regarded as a necessary path for anthropological disaster research in China to make academic progress .Fieldwork can help the anthropologists to be embedded deeply in the social circumstances of the victims of the disaster .With in -depth participation and a spe-cial sense of presence , the knowledge produced in anthropology is endowed with a kind of feature in which social practice and cultural understanding are a mixture of both epic and etic . Anthropological Research on Landslide Disas-ters opens its ethnographic section with three parts ,including “presentation of cases from practical ex-perience;comprehensive discussions on the disas-ter scene and analysis of the questions;and explo-rations on related theories and their application ”. As an introduction to the fieldwork back-ground, the second chapter of the book systemati-cally presents the environmental changes in the Ailao mountains , and the causes of the “August 14th Landslide Disaster ” in Xinping County.The unique natural ecology of the Ailao mountains makes the natural environment even more fragile and susceptible to the landslide disasters .The so-cial changes produced by developing hillside fields by planting cash crops; the construction of hydro-power stations; exploitation of stone quarries; the reform of forestry property rights system , etc., all have resulted in a dramatic change of the local nat-ural ecological environment , which in turn became one of the main causes for the fragility of the land-slide disaster.The occurrence of the “August 14th Landslide Disaster ” exposed the features and problems that make disaster in this area cyclical . From Chapter three to Chapter six , the book presents a comprehensive investigation of the “Au-gust 14th Landslide Disaster ” and its impacts.It does so by providing four case studies of five villa-ges in Xinping County .These five villages include Han, Dai and Yi villages .Although they were fa-cing the same landslide disaster , it is interesting to note that each ethnic group responded to the disas-ter differently based upon their different socio -cultural backgrounds . Based on the situation reflected in the data contained in the ethnography , Chapters seven and eight give a further analysis and discussion on the core issues related to the disaster research and put forward the author ’ s own views .These include long-term risk mitigation mechanisms and institu-tions;cultural interpretation of the disaster and the usage of local knowledge , as well as post-disaster social changes .The book emphasizes that the long-term risk mitigation mechanisms for landslides are closely related to the environmental safety inconstruction , as well as to cultural interpretations of disaster .The book also notes that local knowl-edge should be included in local disaster preven-tion practices. Finally, while analyzing various problems related to the post -disaster reconstruc-tion, Li Yongxiang mentions that the time spent on the post -disaster reconstruction phase of disaster response is the longest; its impact and the cost is the biggest; and the social and cultural conflicts will be also the most prominent . Hence, one should start from the victims ’ living conditions when summarizing the various experiences and les-sons learned regarding post -disaster restoration and reconstruction .Chapter nine , entitled “An-thropological Theoretical Thinking and Application Exploration on Landslide Disasters”, specially fo-cuses on a summary of three questions which ad-dress the methodology of fieldwork , interpretation framework, and application practice related to an-thropological disaster research . The answers to these three questions are actually a conclusion to the question of “For what is the ethnography of dis-aster research?” At present , most results related to anthropo-logical disaster research in China focus primarily on post-disaster reconstruction , but they lack an overall investigation of the disaster scene . Al-though there are already relatively in -depth theo-retical discussions and experiences in international anthropological disaster research , we are still fa-cing the problem of adapting these to the local situ-ation when importing and applying them to domes-tic research . Factually, disaster scenes in China at present have an obvious composite feature and characteris-tics of the time .The obvious fragility is a product of a kind of structure and procedure in the process of modernization change , especially in the western ethnic region of China , where the cultural diversity and a dramatic social change make the disaster scene more complex .Hence, the local research experience which results from the special and com-plex disaster scenes of this region could be trans-forme into a new theoretical interpretative model , and could enrich and expand the overall research and investigative perspective in anthropological dis-aster research .As the first ethnography of disaster in the field of China ’ s anthropology , the book Anthropological Research on Landslide Disasters well follows the anthropological principle of having a holistic view , theoretical process and comprehen-sive analysis , and it forms China ’ s localized ex-perience of anthropology in disaster research .This requires that researchers must expand the time and space spent researching the disaster so as to give a deeper analysis on the social fragility of occurrence of disaster .They put the practical processes for disaster coping measures within the larger structure of the interaction of the local society with the world system.At the same time, one should pay atten-tion to researching disasters by using the methodol-ogy of ethnographic fieldwork , starting with investi-gating the practical scenes of life , interpreting the cultural rational and local practice for coping with disasters , and understanding local perception on disasters .In this way one can develop the research advantages of anthropology and transform its overall view and capability for cross -cultural understand-ing into a kind of capability for providing practical theoretical guidance and experience -based refer-ences for specific disaster coping measures . The formation of local experience of anthropo-logical disaster research is not built in a day .It needs long -term persistence and investment of scholars . Anthropological Research of Landslide Disasters can be regarded as a basic framework for those Chinese academics conducting this kind of research .Nonetheless , it still needs some improve-ments in the technique of organizing fieldwork da-ta, the innovation of theoretical dialogue and the pertinence of policy suggestions etc . However , through the author ’ s long -term persistence in doing in-depth fieldwork for a nearly 10 year cy-cle, during which time the author made multiple investigation visits , it has already promoted the ac-cumulation of China ’ s local experience in anthro-pological study on disasters to a totally new level . The book provides a rich ethnography which pres-ents the scene of the landslide disaster in the Ailao mountain, and makes inspiring and experience -based conclusions regarding issues related to disas-ter coping measures through basic data collected from fieldwork .