From Village to City : Social Transformation in a Chinese County Seat

Between 1988 and 2013, the Chinese city of Zouping transformed from an impoverished town of 30,000 people to a bustling city of over 300,000, complete with factories, high rises, parks, shopping malls, and all the infrastructure of a wealthy East Asian city. From V illage to City paints a vivid portrait of the rapid changes in Zouping and its environs and in the lives of the once-rural people who live there. Despite the benefits of modernization and an improved standard of living for many of its residents, Zouping is far from a utopia; its inhabitants face new challenges and problems such as alienation, class formation and exclusion, and pollution. As he explores the city’s transformation, Andrew B. Kipnis develops a new theory of urbanization in this compelling portrayal of an emerging metropolis and its people. "Between 1988 and 2013, the Chinese city of Zouping transformed from an impoverished village of 30,000 people to a bustling city of over 300,000, complete with factories, high rises, parks, shopping malls, and all the infrastructure of a wealthy East Asian city. From Village to City paints a vivid portrait of the rapid change of Zouping, its environs, and the lives of the once-rural people who live there. Despite its modernization and higher standards of living, Zouping is far from a utopia; its inhabitants face new challenges and problems such as alienation, class formation and exclusion, patriarchy, and pollution. To understand this transformation, Andrew B. Kipnis has developed a theory of urbanization, demonstrated in his compelling portrayal of an emerging metropolis and the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of the people who call it home"--Provided by publisher "Between 1988 and 2013, the Chinese city of Zouping transformed from an impoverished village of 30,000 people to a bustling city of over 300,000, complete with factories, high rises, parks, shopping malls, and all the infrastructure of a wealthy East Asian city. From Village to City paints a vivid portrait of the rapid change of Zouping, its environs, and the lives of the once-rural people who live there. Despite its modernization and higher standards of living, Zouping is far from a utopia; its inhabitants face new challenges and problems such as alienation, class formation and exclusion, patriarchy, and pollution. To understand this transformation, Andrew B. Kipnis has developed a theory of urbanization, demonstrated in his compelling portrayal of an emerging metropolis and the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of the people who call it home"--Résumé de l'éditeur Cover 1 From Village to City 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 CONTENTS 8 List of Illustrations and Tables 10 Acknowledgments 12 1 Recombinant Urbanization 14 PART ONE TRANSFORMATIONS 42 2 Recombinant Planning 44 3 Recombinant Production 79 4 Recombinant Consumption 109 5 Recombinant Phantasmagoria 128 PART TWO TRANSFORMERS TRANSFORMED 150 6 Between Farm and Factory: Migrant Workers from Nearby 154 7 Distant Homes or a New Life: Migrant Workers from Afar 171 8 Villagers-in-the-City: Time for Community 187 9 The Middle Classes in a Manufacturing Center 203 10 Youth between Factories and Services 219 11 Recombination Reconsidered 236 Notes 250 References 258 Index 272 Between 1988 and 2013, the Chinese city of Zouping transformed from an impoverished town to a bustling city of over 300,000, complete with factories, high rises, and all the infrastructure of a wealthy East Asian city. This book focuses on the rapid changes in Zouping, its environs and in the lives of the once-rural people who live there. Between 1988 and 2013, the Chinese city of Zouping transformed from an impoverished town of 30,000 people to a bustling city of over 300,000, complete with factories, high rises, parks, shopping malls, and all the infrastructure of a wealthy East Asian city. __V____City__