The Changing Urban System of China: New Developments Since 1978

The city-size structure and spatial distribution of the urban system reflect socioeconomic development and its spatial distribution. By tracking the development of the urban system we can not only monitor the development of the society but also reveal problems in the process of development and thereby provide a basis for policymaking....Since 1978 a series of new policies has been introduced including rural reform urban reform establishment of the socialist market system the opening to the outside world and emphasis on the development of the coastal region of China. All have contributed to Chinas emergence as the most rapidly growing economy in the world and have dramatically changed its economic structure and pattern of regional development....This paper focuses on new trends in Chinas urban system between 1978 and 1990 and their relationships with economic development during this period. (EXCERPT)