Short Biography

Mu Cao is an associate professor in the History Department at Nankai University, China, specializing in Chinese Environmental History and Urban Environmental History. She earned her degrees from Nankai University and has conducted research at the University of Kansas (2011-2012), the University of Freiburg (2015), and as a Carson Fellow at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich (2016-2017). Her current research focuses on Chinese urban environmental issues since the early modern period. She has published extensively in both Chinese and English and has led and participated in several national and provincial-level research projects. In 2024, she was selected for Nankai University's "Hundred Young Academic Leaders Development Program". She currently serves as a committee member of The Environmental History Committee of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences and as a board member of the International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations (ICEHO). 

Project

Leaving Harbin: Migration and Environment in 20th-Century Northeast China

In recent years, Harbin has gained widespread attention as a trending "internet-famous city" due to its booming winter tourism. During the cold season, tourists flock to experience the city’s snow and ice spectacles, while many Harbin residents have been leaving for megacities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. This reverse migration highlights the dual role of the natural environment: both a valuable tourism resource and a constraint on economic development. Natural conditions have played a decisive role in shaping Harbin's development. 

In the early 20th century, Harbin was a small fishing village on the Songhua River. However, colonial influences and railway construction transformed it into an urban center. Famines in Shandong and North China triggered migration to Northeast China, concentrating the population in Harbin. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the region's natural resources attracted industrial builders and researchers, leading to rapid urban growth. 

By the late 20th century, economic reforms and the rapid development of southern China began to limit Harbin’s growth, as the severe winter conditions hindered urban growth and reduced its attractiveness to new residents. Strict family planning policies in the northeast reduced the birth rate, further compounding the effects of population outflow. Many descendants of early migrants to Harbin began returning to the south, contributing to a significant decline in the city's population. This cyclical migration reflects the complex interplay of natural conditions, national policies, and social environments in shaping urban development, offering a unique perspective on the evolution of Chinese cities.