China is in transition from an agricultural society to a newly industrialized one. As a result, the 'urbanization' of cities is an inevitable process for further development. During the transformation in finance, industry, and politics, many corresponding changes must be made for functional urban planning. This book examines the development of urbanization in China, analyzing the strategies, policies, and economic theories of the Chinese government during the process. It covers the historical process, the realistic pathway, the future direction, the objectives, the challenges, and the warnings. It shows how urbanization is the result of modernization and is the necessary way forward for a moderately prosperous society, taking into account the changes in economic and social life, as well as the simple realities of the times.

Currently there are more than 125 Chinese cities with a population exceeding one million. The unprecedented urban growth in China presents a crucial development for studies on globalization and urban transformation. This concise and engaging book examines the past trajectories, present conditions, and future prospects of Chinese urbanization, by investigating five key themes - governance, migration, landscape, inequality, and cultural economy. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the literature and original research materials, Ren offers a critical account of the Chinese urban condition after the first decade of the twenty-first century. She argues that the urban-rural dichotomy that was artificially constructed under socialism is no longer a meaningful lens for analyses and that Chinese cities have become strategic sites for reassembling citizenship rights for both urban residents and rural migrants.