1st Edition
The Geographical Transformation of China
The aim of this book is to examine the transformation of the geography of China in the years since the start of China's policy of reform and opening-up in 1978, as seen through the eyes of Chinese geographers. Throughout that period, Chinese geographers have studied these environmental, economic, political and cultural processes closely, drawing on sources that are far from easy to access, and have published their results in Chinese. Much of this research has underpinned the Chinese government's assessment of policies and the policy choices at different levels, yet it is not well known outside of China.
This volume deals with aspects of the socio-economic geography of China's transformation including its changing relations with the rest of the world, although it also deals with the impact of China's development path on the country's ecological systems. Each chapter deals with aggregate trends and specific cases to show the ways in which the particular characteristics of China's economic and social order (economic organization, political system and cultural model and values) have shaped and are shaped by its geography.
1. Chinese Economic Development and its Social and Institutional Foundations, Michael Dunford 2. Governance, Politics and Culture, Weidong LIU 3. Regional Disparities, Hui LIU 4. Transformation of Rural China, Yansui LIU and Hualou LONG 5. Changing Geography of Manufacturing, Boyang Gao and Zhigao Liu 6. Urbanization, Mingxing CHEN and Dadao LU 7. The Transformation of Public Services in Rural China, Linxiu Zhang, Chengfang Liu, Renfu Luo, Hongmei Yi, Yaojiang Shi and Scott Rozelle 8. Transformation of Urban Housing System, Xiaolu GAO, Ruohan HU and Fang WANG 9. The Floating Population and its Spatial Impacts, Shenghe LIU, Meifeng ZHAO and Wei QI 10. Transport Development, Chengjin Wang and Jiaoe Wang 11. Nearly 30 Years of Terrestrial Ecosystem Change in China, LIU Jiyuan, DENG Xiangzheng, YU Xiubo and KUANG Wenhui
Biography
Michael Dunford is Visiting Professor at the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Sussex.
Weidong Lui is Professor in Economic Geography and Assistant Director of IGSNRR, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. He is also the Deputy Director of the CAS Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modelling, and the Team Leader of the Regional Development Report of China (eight volumes of the Report have been published in Chinese by the Commercial Press).
"In 11 chapters, 27 leading scientists, mostly Chinese, provide a truly collaborative work on China's current status. Written mostly from a socioeconomic perspective, this volume provides an insider's look at China not readily available in English. Most chapters include case studies, giving readers an opportunity to look at detailed analyses in an otherwise general treatise on the transformation of the country. Linking economic growth, population expansion, transportation, and urban alterations results in an important read for those interested in China. A plethora of tables and maps complemented by a rich, largely obscure bibliography enriches the book significantly. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergaduates and above." - L. Yacher, Southern Connecticut State University, in CHOICE, July 2015
