The Growth of Chongqing
Alex Steffen, 15 Mar 06
The guardian has an great piece on the rapid growth of Chongqing and what it means for the future of China (and, by inference, the rise of the megacity in general):
"It is just after dawn, but the sun remains hidden behind a thick haze. The giant movement of humanity that is Chongqing is about to get into full swing, working, building, consuming, discarding, developing. If today is typical, builders will lay 137,000 square metres of new floor space for residential blocks, shopping centres and factories. The economy will grow by 99 million yuan (£7m). There will be 568 deaths, 813 births and the arrival of 1,370 people from the countryside - each year, the city limits are pushed further outwards as the urban population grows by half a million, the equivalent of all the people in Luxembourg being added to the municipal register."
(Thanks, David!)
Having been there every word rings true, it was the haze that was hard to get over, seemed harder to breathe than anywhere else but Bejing.
But I would go back to china in a second.
Posted by: Rick Anderson on 15 Mar 06
Chongqing is an amazing city and the Guardian's article on it is fascinating. I also blogged on it.
Posted by: China Law Blog on 24 Mar 06
