Changing China: A Geographic Appraisal

by Chiao-Min Hsieh, Max Lu

China is undergoing an incredible metamorphosis that is unmatched in its long history. The economic reform, the double-digit rate of growth, the expanding market economy, the expansion of private enterprises, the construction boom in China's cities, the extraordinary rural industrialization, the large amount of migration, and the increasing links between China and the world economy—all are reshaping the landscape of this fascinating and complex giant. Its emergence as an economic superpower has implications not only for the Asia-Pacific realm but also for the world in the twenty-first century. Changing A Geographical Appraisal brings together over twenty experts on China, both inside and outside China, to examine the spatial patterns and spatial dynamics of post—Cold War China. Organized around themes such as social change and economic change, the book includes individual chapters on food supply and agricultural growth, patterns of land use, transfer of surplus labor, population migration, urbanization and changes in urban structure, environmental stress, the changing regional development pattern, increasing interregional economic disparities and tensions, the situation of interior China, and China's role in the Pacific Rim. A concluding chapter considers China's emerging status in world affairs. Changing A Geographical Appraisal will be a useful resource for students and scholars of geography, anthropology, and Asian studies.

496 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2003