Though China's urban history reaches back over five thousand years, it is only in the last quarter century that urbanization has emerged as a force of widespread social transformation while a massive population shift from country to city has brought about a dramatic revolution in China's culture, politics, and economy. Employing a historical perspective, John Friedmann presents a succinct, readable account and interpretation of how this transition - one of the most momentous phenomena in contemporary history - has occurred. China's Urban Transition synthesizes a broad array of research to provide the first integrated treatment of the many processes that encompass the multi-layered meaning of urbanization: regional policy, the upsurge of rural industries, migration, expanding spheres of personal autonomy, and the governance of city building. John Friedmann's detailed analysis suggests that the nation's economic development has been driven more by social forces from within than by global capital. This leads directly to the epic story of rural migration to major urban regions, the policies used to restrain and direct this "avalanche" of humanity on the move, and the return of many migrants to their home communities, where the process of urbanization continues. Focusing on everyday life in cities, he also shows how this social transformation extends to the most intimate spheres of people's lives. In conclusion, the author raises the question of a "sustainable" urban development and its relation with China's own past, values, and institutions. Friedmann predicts that within ten years China - already the most powerful country in East Asia - will have become a major power in the world. With historical depth, interpretive insight, and interdisciplinary breadth, this book offers an unparalleled introduction to China's transformation.
Popular Passages:
represent the development trend of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of China's advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people. - Page 146
the streets made the rounds in silence. At the fifth watch, the drums in all the streets were beaten so as to let the noise be heard everywhere; then all the gates of the wards and markets were opened." The morning drums must have been very important in the daily rhythm of the city since - Page 5
The economic activity that had become private had to be oriented toward a commodity market that had expanded under public direction and supervision: the economic conditions under which this activity now took place lay outside the confines of the single household; for the first time, they were of general interest - Page 87
In East Asia, the states are organizationally pervasive, without clear-cut boundaries. Their powers and functions are diffuse, and they pay little respect to due process. Consequently, the lines between public and private, political and personal, formal and informal, official and nonofficial, government and market, legal and customary, and between procedural and substantial, are all blurred - Page 108
Transactions between the centrally located cities of one region and those of another were minimized by the high cost of unmechanized transport and the great distances involved. It cost as much to transport grain 200 miles on the - Page 19
The strong, autocratic grip that the Sui emperors had over their capitals was replaced by that of a bureaucratic government of practical scholar-officials. Trade once strictly regulated in enclosed markets and conducted primarily for the court's consumption was widespread and permeated all levels of - Page 5
was expected to return home for marriage, to spend there an extended period of mourning on the death of either parent, and eventually to retire in the locality where his ancestors were buried. Even when these expectations were not realized, the son born to a sojourner inherited his father's native place along with his surname.... - Page 8
The Ouyang Complex, the tallest building in Yudu, incorporates a restaurant, shops, a hotel, and offices. It stands in the middle of the county town, metaphorically proclaiming the rise in the status of a lowly farmer: he earned his money as a labor contractor in Guangzhou and Xiamen, then invested in mines and factories at home - Page 73
Unless a permit was issued by the county officials or the ward headman's office as in the case of an emergency, illness or marriage, no one was allowed out in the avenues at night.... - Page 3
it still remains true that the dominant feature of Confucianism was a pervasive hostility to the notion of personal autonomy and individualism. The goal of self-improvement was moral perfection according to established standards, and hence it sought excellence in terms of conformity to cultural norms, not in terms of the uniqueness of - Page 142
Cover:
+ By John Friedmann
+ Published 2005, University of Minnesota Press
+ 168 pages
+ ISBN 0816646147