Annual Academic 2006: Rural and Urban

Author: Zhao Tingyang
Publisher:
Publishing Time:
Features: The Annual Academic is a large-scale collection of essays on humanities and social sciences, published annually. It introduces cutting-edge research achievements in major fields of China's humanities and social sciences, focuses on in-depth studies of significant theoretical issues, and translates selected new works by renowned overseas scholars. Its aim is to build a responsible academic expression platform in Chinese, with the goal of promoting the development and progress of academia. The Annual Academic 2006 is the fourth issue of the series. The theme of this issue is "Rural and Urban." Rural and urban issues have taken on a special significance in China's development. Although China has long been predominantly rural, the model of "the rural China" has faced immense challenges from modernization. What we are now facing are actually "new rural China" and new rural issues. Nevertheless, "land" and "farmers" remain the most significant words in China, as they are closely tied to the country's national development and security. Modernization in cities is a relatively new phenomenon for China. Rapid urbanization and metropolitanization have created production and lifestyles completely different from traditional society, throwing people into a new world of glittering wealth and joy, where both real and fake wealth and happiness coexist. Although people have enthusiastically embraced the urban movement, we have reason to doubt that we still do not fully understand cities, nor do we know what challenges they may bring—just as no one knows what they truly desire. This book primarily features long-form academic essays written by prominent scholars currently active in academia. The articles are divided into three thematic sections: "Rereading Fei Xiaotong," "Rural and National Development," and "Sensory Cities," focusing on current most important social issues from different perspectives and levels. It can be considered an important academic gathering for the year.