Chinese urban development
Chinese cities have gone through various changes since the imperial era . Influences came from the West and socialism, among others.
The traditional city in the imperial era
Characteristic elements and thus important foundations of today's Chinese cities were already found in the Chinese Empire and its predecessor dynasties. The Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BC) compared the ruling figure of China to a “pole star” that “remains in one place while all the stars revolve around it.” This description shows the basic structure of society at that time , which was symbolized in the structure of the cities: In the city center were mostly the most important buildings such as the imperial palace or local authorities ( yamen ). As a rule, the closer a building was to this center, the higher the social status of the owner.
The cardinal points also played a role at that time, so in most Chinese imperial cities there was a dominant north-south axis and almost all the houses in the city were oriented to the south. In addition, the cities were built in a rectangular shape, both the external borders and the road network.
Era of European colonization
An important chapter in history was the colonization by European sea powers , which mainly happened in the Pearl River Delta in southeast China. While Portugal had captured the city of Macau as early as 1557, Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842 . This also increased the influence of western countries in neighboring coastal cities such as Guangzhou , then known as Canton . Initially, European settlements were separated from Chinese cities, a good example of which is Shamian Island in Guangzhou. Places like this were later often focal points for the formation of modern Chinese cities, so form a basis for their current structure.
Urban development during Chinese socialism
The image of the Chinese cities changed especially after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. The traditional centers of the cities were seen by the government as relics of an anti-social system and partially replaced by monotonous prefabricated buildings that were supposed to create conditions of equal value for the citizens. A new east-west axis through some cities replaced the north-south orientation that was dominant during the imperial era in order to set an example against the worldview of that time. The central square in the cities was now often used for military parades, a typical example of which is Tian'anmen Square in Beijing , which became famous in 1989 after a massacre .
The modern Chinese city
Several changes that had previously taken place under the socialist government relaxed again from around 1978. This time was marked by a reform and opening policy under Deng Xiaoping and an important step for the development of modern cities in China.
The government began transforming individual regions and cities into market economies in order to increase foreign investment and the country's exports. To this end, six so-called special economic zones have now been created throughout China , which are intended to attract companies and donors, including through tax breaks. But other cities, especially on the coasts, were opened to world trade and were also given privileges for this purpose, albeit less than the special economic zones. Many migrants from rural China came to the cities, which had previously been prevented by a strict reporting system ( hukou system ). However, since they still had to pay high fees for their registration in the city, migrants remained as illegal migrant workers. The number of Chinese cities with more than one million inhabitants rose from 27 to over 50, and that only between 1997 and 2012.
A certain pattern can be seen in many of China's modern megacities: the model of today's typical city is built in a ring around an original city center. Around this are heavily segmented commercial and residential units, some of which have their own centers, which are becoming more spacious towards the outside. Satellite cities and smaller country towns are distributed around this core city, with lots of agricultural land in between. This structure originates from the time of reform and opening policy in China and is therefore primarily to be found in cities that are open to the outside world. Due to the large number of immigrants, these had to break up their traditional urban structures and create new housing options and industrial locations.
In the cities opened to world trade, the cityscape also became more diverse and adapted to the new conditions. Buildings in international architectural style, large skyscrapers with modern glass facades and imposing prestige buildings with lavish nighttime lighting were created. In addition, historic old towns have been restored to attract tourists, especially from the west.
The Chinese cities today resemble the typical western metropolises on the one hand, but on the other hand the cities have become more diverse again with their own characteristics and differ distinctly from the regions of the country characterized by the planned economy.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stefan Aust, Adrian Geiges: With Confucius to World Power: The Chinese Century . Bastei Lübbe Verlag, Cologne 2012, p. 211 .
- ^ Wolfgang Taubmann: The Chinese city . In: Geographical Rundschau . No. 7-8 , 1993, pp. 420-428 .
- ↑ Dieter Griesshaber: European Colonialism and Imperialism ( 1520-1914 ). Geschichts- und Kulturverein Köngen eV, July 14, 2016, accessed on February 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Hans Heinrich Blotevogel: Urban geography: chap. 14: Urban structure and urban development in an intercultural comparison III: East Asia. University of Duisburg-Essen, 2001, accessed on February 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Marc Eiermann: The Pearl River Delta - China's boom region . In: Diercke 360 ° . tape 2 , 2012, p. 12 .
- ↑ Martina Gelhar: China's cities - between tradition and postmodernism . In: Diercke 360 ° . tape 2 , 2012, p. 8 .
- ↑ LEXICON OF GEOGRAPHY: Chinese city . In: Spektrum.de . 2001 ( online [accessed March 2, 2018]).
- ↑ Hans Heinrich Blotevogel: Urban geography: chap. 14: Urban structure and urban development in an intercultural comparison III: East Asia. University of Duisburg-Essen, 2001, accessed on March 2, 2018 .