Late in the 8th century, under the Tang dynasty, a local magnate led a land reclamationproject on the Fujian coast that is emblematic of the encounter between the Sinitic culture ofthe Yellow River basin in northern China and the local cultures of the south. Later accountssay the drainage canals were undercut by a jiao, a mythological dragon-like beast that was astand-in for the crocodiles that once inhabited the south China coast. The book uses thisincident to explore the interaction between the indigenous pre-Sinitic people and culture ofthe Fujian coast with the Sinitic immigrants who arrived in growing numbers through the 8thcentury and after.