General Introduction to Chinese Cities
China has the largest urban population in the world. In 2017, over 58% of China’s population, or more than 800 million people, lived in cities, and the urbanization rate is increasing by over one percentage point every year. The advancement of urbanization has pushed forward the intensive and efficient use of resources, promoted innovation and enabled the economy to prosper.
According to the administrative divisions of the People’s Republic of China, there are three levels of cities, namely provincial-level cities (including municipalities and special administrative regions), prefecture-level cities, and country-level cities. As of January 2019, China has a total of 674 cities: 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, 2 special administrative regions, 293 prefectural-level cities (including the 15 sub-provincial cities) and 375 county-level cities.
Beijing: The Political and Cultural Center
Brief Introduction
Beijing, a municipality directly under the Central Government, is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It is the country’s political, cultural, international and technological innovation center. Beijing Municipality covers an area of 16,410.54 km2. Nestled on the north of the North China Plain, it borders Tianjin Municipality on the east and Hebei Province in all other directions. The Western Hills, located in the west of Beijing, are branches of the Taihang Mountains while the Jundu Mountain, located in the north of the city, is a part of the Yanshan Mountains. They intersect at Beijing’s Guangou Valley, shaping a giant semi-circle curve opening to the southeast. This curve is called “Beijing Bay.” All these tell us why Beijing has been acclaimed as a land of peace and prosperity since ancient times.
With a long history and splendid culture, Beijing is one of China’s most famous historical and cultural cities, one of the country’s four great ancient capitals, and also the city that houses the most cultural heritage in the world. In its long-term process of development, numerous places of interest have emerged. These include the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Tian’anmen, Shichahai, and Yuanmingyuan Park (Old Summer Palace).
In line with the strategic plan of “People’s Beijing, High-tech Beijing, Green Beijing”, Beijing will be developed into a world-class harmonious and liveable capital.
Culture
Beijing is one of the cradlelands of mankind, and one of the hometowns of the Chinese nation. More than 700,000 years ago, “Peking Man” lived in the caves of today’s Zhoukoudian Town of Beijing. This indicated the beginning of Beijing’s civilisation. Several dynasties established Beijing as their capital. In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded, and Beijing was proclaimed as its capital.
Beijing Opera is a traditional Chinese opera centered in Beijing and has won popularity all over China. It is also known as “the quintessence of the country”. Commonly lauded as one of the highest achievements of Chinese culture, Beijing Opera is performed through a combination of song, spoken dialogue, and codified action sequences, such as gestures, movements, fighting and acrobatics. Much of Beijing Opera is carried out in an archaic stage dialect quite different from modern Standard Mandarin and from the Beijing dialect.
Shanghai: A Cosmopolitan City
A Brief Introduction
As one of the four municipalities under the direct control of the Central Government, Shanghai (called Hu for short) is the largest industrial and commercial city in China and a famous international metropolis. According to the 2017 census, Shanghai has a residential population of 24.18 million.
Shanghai is a coastal city bordering on East China Sea, located at the south of Yangtze River Estuary and north of Hangzhou Bay. Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces are its neighboring provinces.
Shanghai Today
Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to its favorable port location. The city flourished as a commercial center between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business by the 1930s. Since 1978 reform, a favorable national policy, efficient administration, regular market mechanism and a large number of talents have come together to enhance the city’s economic development. As an important comprehensive industrial base and port, Shanghai plays an essential role in the national economy. Major industries include metallurgy, machine-building, shipbuilding, chemicals, electronics, meters, textiles and other light industries, in addition to its highly developed commerce, banking and ocean shipping industry. The Pudong New Zone, separated from the old city by the Huangpu River, is now undergoing vigorous development and construction. The opening and development of the Pudong New Zone is intended to put it on a par with the world’s best within several decades, as a modern, multi-functional, export- oriented district, thus laying the foundation for the transformation of Shanghai into an international economic, banking and trade center, as well as a modern international metropolis.
The city is also a tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as the Bund and City God Temple, its modern and ever-expanding Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower, and its new reputation as a cosmopolitan center of culture and design. Today, Shanghai is the largest center of commerce and finance in mainland China, and has been described as the “showpiece” of the world’s fastest- growing major economy.
The Pudong district of Shanghai displays a wide range of supertall skyscrapers. The most prominent examples include the Jin Mao Tower and the taller Shanghai World Financial Center, which at 492 meters tall is the tallest skyscraper in mainland China and ranks second in the world. The distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower, at 468 meters, is located nearby downtown Shanghai. Its lower sphere is now available for living quarters, at very high prices. Another tall highrise in the Pudong area of Shanghai is the newly finished Development Tower. It stands at 269 meters.
