Evolution of Chinese Cities: Key Notes

Evolution of Chinese Cities Before and After 1978

Rapid Growth in the Pearl River Delta (PRD)

  • Shenzhen experienced rapid growth starting in 1985.
  • Guangzhou also saw rapid growth with a new Central Business District (CBD).

Economic Development and Restructuring

  • Comparison of GDP between Hong Kong and China:
    • In 1980, China's GDP was US$28.9B while Hong Kong's was US$189.4B. In 2019, China's GDP reached US$14,340B compared to Hong Kong's US$370.0B.
  • GDP per capita comparison (PRD's permanent residents):
    • 2003: HK - US$23,000, PRD - US$18,484
    • 2021: HK - US$44,999, Shenzhen - US$27,199
  • Economic restructuring in the PRD (1988-2011) shows a shift from primary and secondary sectors to the service sector.
  • Economic restructuring in Hong Kong (1980 – 2014) shows manufacturing decreasing while the service sector increases in both GDP and employment.

Definition of Urban Settlements

  • Cities and towns are central areas for industry, commerce, and manufacturing.
  • A city (shi 市) is under a province (sheng 省), autonomous region (zizhi qu自治區), or autonomous state (zizhi zhou 自治州).
  • A town (zhen 鎮) is under a county (xian 縣) or autonomous county (zizhi xian 自治縣).
  • Criteria include administrative status, economic functions, population size, and non-agricultural population share.

Administrative Divisions of China

  • China has a hierarchical administrative structure including:
    • Provincial level (省, 自治區, 直轄市, 特別行政區)
    • Prefecture level (地區, 市, 自治州, 盟)
    • County level (區, 縣, 自治縣, 市)
    • Township level (鄉鎮)
  • Examples include centrally administered cities like Beijing and provinces like Guangdong.
  • Sub-provincial cities are half a level below a province; examples include Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Statistical Definition of Urban and Rural Areas

  • Based on administrative divisions, residential committees, and village committees.
  • Urban Area includes city proper (chengqu) and town proper (zhenqu).
  • Rural Area is excluded from the urban area.

Key Concepts in Statistical Definition

  • Urbanization level: permanent population within the Urban Area divided by the permanent population of the whole city.
  • Urban Area: urban-like built environment selected under specific criteria.

Definition of City Size in China

  • Classified into four categories based on non-agricultural registered permanent population in the City Proper (chengqu城區):
    • Extra-large cites (2 million and more)
    • Large cities (1-2 million)
    • Medium cities (0.5-1 million)
    • Small cities (less than 0.5 million)

Population Statistics

  • Permanent Urban Population = Permanent Population within Urban Area.
  • Urbanization Level = Permanent Urban Population/Whole City Population.
  • City Size: Registered Permanent Population within City Proper.

Overview of City Regions and Mega City Regions

  • Concepts include city, suburbs, metropolitan area, city region, and mega city region.

Megalopolis

  • Evolution from city to metropolitan area, then to city region, mega city region, and megalopolis.

Polycentric Mega City Regions

  • Transition from cities to super mega city regions in China.

Urban Agglomerations in China

  • China's 13th and 14th Five Year Plans emphasize urban agglomerations.
  • The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (JJJ) region, the Pearl River Delta, and the Yangtze River Delta are key development areas.

Importance of Megacity Regions in China

  • Play a crucial role in economic development and restructuring.
  • The Jing-Jin-Ji, Pearl River Delta, and Yangtze River Delta regions account for a significant portion of the national population and GDP.

Urbanization Trends

  • Significant urbanization occurred between 1949 and 2009.
  • Urbanization is expected to reach 75-80% by 2035.