URBAN GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA: VIEWS OF OVERSEA SCHOLARS
LU La-chang1, WEI Ye-hua2, LIN Chu-sheng3
1. College of Geographical Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510405, China;
2. Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee WI 53201, USA;
3. Department of Geography, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Abstract：Overseas scholars are an important force in studying urban geographies of China and have made a number of important contributions that have helped highlight the significance of China's urban geography within international academia. The paper reviews their findings in three main areas. First, with regard to economic development and urbanization, overseas scholars argue that institutional and cultural factors influence the urbanization process via economic factors and emphasize the impact of political economic factors on Chinese urbanization. They've also proposed important concepts such as "counter-urbanization," "spurious urbanization," and "ex-urbanization," and furthered development of the notion of urbanization from below (as opposed to the orthodox notion of urbanization from above.) Second, with regard to globalization and urban development, they argue that globalization has become an important force underlying urban restructuring, and the location of foreign investment has become another important research area. They argue for the importance of social networks and cultural closeness in foreign firms' location decisions. In addition, they highlight the significance of globalization in the emergence of global city regions and urban spatial change in China and the importance of the Chinese diaspora in the globalization of China. Third, with regard to institutional reform and urban transition, overseas scholars consider political factors as the key to urban transition in China. Urban government and governance have become the focus of urban studies, and they maintain that decentralization and marketization have caused the transformation of Chinese cities from production centers to entrepreneur cities during which new urban spaces, such as development zones, hi-tech districts, gated communities, and sophisticated shopping centers, have emerged. In addition, the paper argues that China's urban geography is currently in a pivotal stage of transition. Though problems exist, conditions are good for further development. It is essential to develop Chinese approaches to urban geography or urban geography with Chinese characteristics.
