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| THE INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY IN CHINA |
| WANG Rong-cheng, ZHANG Ying |
| Department of Geography, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China |
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Abstract The paper considered that the Regional Economic Geography, a young discipline in the system of Geographical Science in China, is now in a deep transformation with the great political and economic changes, the quick development of economic integration and regional collectivization of the World. Since 1950s, first of all, the discipline began to break the fetters of traditional conceptions, such as narrow senses of theory of man land relationship and some theories from former Soviet Union, developed the discipline along the direction of borderline subject. Secondly, the discipline began to break some traditional research models and strengthen the ideas oriented regional development, and expand research fields step by step. Thirdly, the discipline innovated the theories and methodologies continually-inquiring into new theory system based on traditional theories, absorbing and digesting useful theories of related disciplines formed after the World War II, and importing new technologies such as computer technologies besides some useful traditional philosophical ideas. Regional Economic Geography in China is faced with a great challenge as well as an important developing chance in the 21st century with the developments and changes of time and space conditions. In order to achieve the innovation and great development of the discipline in the future, the authors considered the key is how to recognize and deal with several great problems the discipline faced with. First of all, how to cognize the challenges of the related new or old domestic and abroad disciplines for the discipline. Secondly, how to solve the problems of inheriting and innovation for the discipline. Thirdly, how to solve the problems of the connections between theories and practices for the discipline. In the end, the paper put forward four trends of Regional Economic Geography. First, we must strengthen the important roles of Regional Economic Geography in the education and pay a great attention to modern educational methods, such as multimedia education, long-distance and network education oriented multi-level education. Secondly, we should enhance the construction of the theories step by step closely connect with practices. Thirdly, we should further blend traditional geographical researches with economic researches in the development of the discipline. And fourthly, we should go a further step to compile traditional geographical methodologies with new technical and methodologies.
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Received: 10 December 2001
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2002, Vol. 17 
