The Geographical Transformation of China

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.

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.