In the Chinese City: Perspectives on the Transmutations of an Empire

An Essential Work for Understanding the Contemporary Chinese City. Beijing is host to the 2008 Olympic Games, followed by the 2010 Universal Exposition in Shanghai. These two cities have undergone an architectonic and urban metamorphosis unprecedented for dimension and speed; a movement that has transformed the whole of China and has deeply affected the lives of hundreds of millions of people. This book presents keys for understanding a phenomenon often blurred by touristic portrayals and issues of economic restlessness. Divided in two parts, the book first illustrates the history of urban China, from its acceleration over the 20th century to its metamorphosis over the last decade. It then explores eight cities: diverse megalopolises including popular Shanghai and Beijing, famous Suzhou and Xi'an, the unknown conurbian between Canton and Shenzhen on the Pearl River, and an emerging Chongoin with the gigantic Three Gorges Dam Project.