Water is one of the most dynamic forces of nature. But, at times, why does this savior of humankind become the destroyer? This question has been haunting civilizations for centuries. It is of special importance to China because 70 percent of its cities are situated and about 700 million of its 1.3 billion people live in disaster-prone areas, many of which face the wrath of excess water or the lack of it.

"The history of China is almost a chronological record of natural calamities", says Wang Yongjie, professor of wetland studies at Qiqihar University in Heilongjiang province. "If floods have shaped many characteristics of early Chinese civilization, floods and water crises in modern China, to a large extent, manifest the conflicts between human activities and nature."

Water can trigger a series of tricky situations in the ecological system. Water spaces or natural bodies such as flood plains, forests and wetlands, which help preserve and recycle water, play an important role in maintaining the integrity of water resources. Wang says: "To maintain the water cycle, water spaces are the foremost tangible frontiers for humans. The floods and calamities that water causes can be avoided or even used to our advantage if we reflect on our actions in relation to water spaces."