Urban System of China: History · Current Status · Prospects

Author: Gu Chao-lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-10-01
Features: The theoretical methods studied in this book are based on extensively absorbing and fully utilizing domestic and international research achievements. It strives to apply the basic principles of historical materialism, comprehensively and systematically researching the origins of Chinese cities, the emergence and development of the Chinese urban system, the organizational structure of the modern Chinese urban system—regional spatial structure, hierarchical scale structure, functional combination structure, and network system structure. It also examines the further development conditions of the Chinese urban system, the impact of urbanization level, urban population growth, national regional development, and other factors on the development of the Chinese urban system. On this basis, it provides a scientific outline for the future characteristics of the development of the Chinese urban system. It can be said that this is a scientific work with a rigorous structure, clear hierarchy, rich content, sufficient evidence, and clear viewpoints. It offers valuable scientific discussions on several key issues and has a high academic level. In summary, the book has the following key points:
About the origins of Chinese cities. The author has extensively researched necessary and abundant historical materials, applying Marxist theoretical methods to argue that the origins of Chinese cities are a historical process. Based on this, the author firmly believes that early Chinese cities originated in the capitals of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, took initial form during the Xia Dynasty, and fully developed during the Shang Dynasty.
About the emergence of the Chinese urban system. When did the Chinese urban system actually emerge? This has long been an unresolved question among urban scholars both domestically and internationally. The author, by establishing three essential relationships between cities—regional proximity, functional complementarity, and scale hierarchy—clearly proposes that the Chinese urban system emerged during the historical period of the transition from the slave society of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States to the feudal society.
About the developmental process of the Chinese urban system. Based on fully utilizing research findings from various fields such as China's economic history, urban construction history, and historical geography, as well as a substantial accumulation of literature, the author scientifically classifies the development process of the Chinese urban system according to historical political changes and the evolution of productivity and economic development. It provides an in-depth study of the organizational structural characteristics of the urban system in each period, establishing a new theoretical framework for systematically studying urban development in China.
About the development and current characteristics of the Chinese urban system in the new China. The author fully utilizes systematic urban statistical data since the founding of the country, comparing the development of the new China's urban system with that of ancient and modern urban systems in China, summarizing the development characteristics of the new China's urban system. Additionally, based on national urban and town statistical data from 1985 and employing computer analysis methods, the author conducts a comprehensive and systematic study of the four structural characteristics of the modern Chinese urban system, proposing the idea of developing the urban system in a location-specific and zoned manner.
About the development forecast of the Chinese urban system. The author primarily focuses on three aspects—analysis of new urban development, population development forecasting for cities, and the organization of urban economic zones—to systematically forecast the development of new cities in China by 2050 and 2100. Through the analysis of factors influencing urbanization in China, the author establishes forecasting models for urban population and urban hierarchical systems. Furthermore, starting from the rational organization of China's urban economic zones, it conducts preliminary research on the development strategy and organizational structural characteristics of the Chinese urban system in the 21st century.
This book is currently the first monograph in China that comprehensively and systematically discusses and studies the formation, development, current state, and future of the Chinese urban system from multiple perspectives, including urban geography, urban planning, urban economics, urban history, and territorial planning. It represents a welcome achievement in urban geography research. It is believed that the publication of this book will have certain reference and application value for formulating regional development strategies in China, spatial layout of productivity and macro-control, as well as territorial resource utilization and urban master planning.