Cities in China

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The author's fascination with Chinese urban planning began forty years ago at the Institute of Urbanism in Berlin. After two decades, he worked as a UN planning adviser in several Asian countries for about twelve years. During this time, he traveled extensively through East Asia, focusing on areas traditionally inhabited by Chinese emigrants in the Pacific region. In the last decade, he explored all provinces of Inner China and various locations in Outer China, gathering maps, statistics, photographs, and engaging in discussions with local city planners about urban development challenges. His efforts were supported by colleagues at Tongji University in Shanghai. Recently, the flow of information regarding Chinese cities has increased significantly, with several studies published by Western geographers focusing on larger cities. However, a comprehensive work of this nature has not been published in any language before. The book addresses the complexities of Chinese urbanism, characterized by numerous settlements with rich histories that have evolved over time. It includes a variety of graphs, photographs, and maps, all designed in a consistent style for easy comparison. A notable map from 1987 highlights cities with over 400,000 inhabitants. This work aims to aid both foreigners and Chinese in understanding urban development within its geographical and historical context, appealing to geographers, urban planners, and anyone int