ebook9783319921686d4325

Description

This book examines failure in the urbanisation of Northwest China as a result of government industrial policies that have impacted on the economic development of the region. By looking at the under-researched provinces of¬†Gansu, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia, which make up a quarter of China’s territory, Zheng and Deng challenge the common story of China’s miracle growth and reveal the dark side of the country‚Äôs pursuit of modernity. Severe weather conditions, chronic drought, permanent lack of oxygen and unforgiving terrain in the Northwest make farming, manufacture and services difficult simply because people tend not to stay. Yet, China‚Äôs current political system forces growth to take place even though basic conditions and prerequisites for market-based growth are missing. This volume analyses ‘ghost cities’ and social tension in the process of ‚Äòforced urbanisation‚Äô in which huge amount of resources are wasted, the local environment is systematically damaged and ordinary people‚Äôs basic rights are brutally violated in the name of higher GDP and greater government glory.