The notion that the only way for China to modernize is to get everyone into these megalopolis cities is difficult to comprehend. Perhaps this is because I personally prefer the countryside, but why can't they do more to develop living conditions in the countryside. The powers that be seem to believe that the best way to develop the countryside, meanwhile, is to pave better roads. This is a noble goal, but when only 30% of the money allocated actually reaches the road, and the rest lines the pockets of people working the system, that's not a particularly efficient use of money. Instead, improving peoples' living conditions like allowing for the building of real homes, better connections to the electrical grid, better running water service, and vocational programs might do more to improve the situation of folks in ... but I digress. Back to the Urbanization: A Reuters report says that China "plans to spend 40 trillion yuan ($6.4 trillion) in the next phase of urban development, which envisages 400 million people from the countryside to cities over the next decade." Now I'm not an economist, but they are also pledging to reduce environmental damage in the a country with several of the world's most polluted cities. To me, these two are contradictory goals. I could be, and hope that I am, wrong, but after seeing the way people (particularly children) are forced to live in these large cities, with few chances to play (healthily) outside or do anything other than study, I can't imagine that moving another 30% of the national population will really improve people's quality of life. Indeed, without improving the opportunities for people, simply moving them to urban environments will likely create serious social problems (as can already be seen in the forced settlement of nomads in some parts of this province).
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About TimAs you can see elsewhere on this webpage, I conduct research on ethnic minorities in western China. This blog offers semi-academic musings on the minutiae of daily life out here--the sort of information otherwise destined for footnotes. Categories |