Urbanisation and urban development are the focus of this comprehensive account which introduces readers to the far-reaching changes now taking place in Chinese cities. New and established scholars from the fields of geography, sociology and urban planning, including Chinese social scientists, contribute chapters on the development of Chinese cities up to the turn of the twenty-first century. All their work reflects the most recent scholarship.
The book's original approach links the visible changes in urban life to changes in the larger political economy of China. Conversely, broad concepts that are central to understanding the country's re-emergence on the world stage, such as the transition from socialism, market reform, and globalization, are made tangible in their effects on people's daily lives in Chinese cities and in detailed examination of how these cities have developed. Case materials are drawn from all China's major cities, but particular attention is paid to Shanghai and Hong Kong.