There's several great pieces I read for my thesis around the concept of "ordinary cities" - the idea that most places aren't studied and widely known and yet they make up the majority of peoples' lived experiences - as opposed to "world cities" which tend to get all the attention but are in the minority. It was a fantastic debate in academic geography that didn't really get as much attention as it deserved and never managed to achieve it's objectives.
A lot of Chinese policy decisions that appear strange can be better understood by engaging with the fact that 1st tier cities and the provincial capitals do not represent the majority of China. They, and the people that live there, are hyperconnected and visible, but the the vast majority of people live in these kinds of small, ordinary, places and have very little experience or awareness of either their own country or the wider world. It's really crucial that we get more visibility and understanding of these people and places to be better able to understand China in the long run.
Amazing article, Having lived in #Shandong for 6 years, i must say the urban-rural balance is wonderful here. I wish someone do a similar analysis for Jinan - rural areas in peripheries .
There's several great pieces I read for my thesis around the concept of "ordinary cities" - the idea that most places aren't studied and widely known and yet they make up the majority of peoples' lived experiences - as opposed to "world cities" which tend to get all the attention but are in the minority. It was a fantastic debate in academic geography that didn't really get as much attention as it deserved and never managed to achieve it's objectives.
A lot of Chinese policy decisions that appear strange can be better understood by engaging with the fact that 1st tier cities and the provincial capitals do not represent the majority of China. They, and the people that live there, are hyperconnected and visible, but the the vast majority of people live in these kinds of small, ordinary, places and have very little experience or awareness of either their own country or the wider world. It's really crucial that we get more visibility and understanding of these people and places to be better able to understand China in the long run.
Amazing article, Having lived in #Shandong for 6 years, i must say the urban-rural balance is wonderful here. I wish someone do a similar analysis for Jinan - rural areas in peripheries .
Interesting!
I would HATE living in those high rise housing... Like rats in a cage... A high-rise cage.
Simply amazing. Also great to see you adapting Twitter thread to this format!
Great piece! Thanks.