Institutions, Culture and the Chinese City

Sun Sheng Han, Professor of Urban Planning and Ning Yan, Senior Researcher, The University of Melbourne, Australia

‘Institutions, Culture and the Chinese City provides a magisterial overview of the history of Chinese cities and institutional cultures. Sun Sheng Han and Ning Yan masterfully narrate two storylines: statesmen’s visions and the transformation of Chinese society in a long urbanisation process. The book is grand yet grounded. The perspective is highly original in revealing concrete and material causalities in the context of institutions and political cultures. It is a rare book because such an indigenous narrative has long been appealing but is challenging to achieve without a strong historical sense. It is enjoyably accessible for readers curious about the vast urban changes in China.’

• ContentsPreface x1 Introducing the institutional and cultural perspective toChinese urban studies PART I HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONS, CULTURE ANDCHINESE URBAN DEVELOPMENTIntroduction to Part I 2 The roots of institutions, culture and cities in China 3 Chinese cities in the centennial transition PART II THE CHINESE CITY UNDER MAO ZEDONGIntroduction to Part II 4 China’s institutions and culture in the Mao Era 5 Urbanisation under strict control PART III CHINESE CITIES IN THE DENG XIAOPING ERAIntroduction to Part III 6 Deng Xiaoping and his reform policies 7 Urbanisation with Chinese characteristics PART IV RAPID URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE POST-DENG ERAIntroduction to Part IV Institutions, culture and the Chinese city8 Marketisation, globalisation and the Chinese city 9 Land finance and urbanisation 10 The emerging Xi Jinping Era and the Chinese city 11 Conclusions: an institutional and cultural explanation ofChina’s unique urban development trajectory Bibliography