Progress in research on Chinese urbanization

This paper is a comprehensive study on the progress in research on Chinese urbanization. On the basis of the concept and connotation of Chinese urbanization defined by Chinese scholars, the paper systematically collects the research results on the issues concerning urbanization in China from the different approaches of demography, geography, city planning, economics and history, reviewin~ the process of research on Chinese urbanization made both domestically and internationally. In this paper, the domestic studies fail into five periods as follows： the initial period of research on urbanization in China （1978-1983）; the period with both domesticaUy constructed and borrowed theories on urbanization （1984-1988）; the period of research on leading urbanization factors and [oca｜ization （1989-1997）; the period with the research greatty promoted by the government （1998-2004）; and the period featuring flourishing studies on the science of urbanization in China （2005 ti[[ today）. In contrast, the overseas research on Chinese urbanization can be divided into three periods： the period studying the history of urbanization in China （before the 1970s）; the systematic research on Chinese urbanization （1970-1999）; and the comprehensive research on Chinese urbanization （2000 tiU today）. The paper focuses on the key results of research on Chinese urbanization, including nine issues as foLLows： the guidelines and road for urban development in China, the features of Chinese urbanization, the mechanism driving the growth of Chinese urbanization, the process of Chinese urbanization, the spatiat patterns of Chinese urbanization, the urbanization in rural areas in China, the comparison of urbanization in China and other countries, and gLobaLization and regional urbanization.