Nobel Prize laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz once named urbanization in China and the new technical revolution led by the United States as the two great events shaping the world of the 21st century.

According to a report compiled by the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning body, over 56 percent of China's population lived in cities in 2015, and its urban population will grow to more than 900 million by 2030, becoming three times larger than the total population of the United States.

“China’s Urbanization: Migration by the Millions” provides a full-range description of how millions of farmers in China became urban citizens during different periods of history. It also explores the country’s land system and household registration system, deep-rooted issues that will be affected by urbanization for a long time to come.

The book reveals, from the farmers’ perspective, the various complicated conflicts of interest and the growth and benefits that urbanization has brought to rural areas and to the rural population.

China, the world’s second largest economy, is currently experiencing the largest process of urbanization in human history, with more than 20 million people moving from the countryside into cities every year. It’s a process faced with more stringent constraints on resources and environmental capacity. Although rapid development has led to wide-scale material construction in urban areas during the past 30-plus years, the urbanization of people, namely the transformation of farmers and rural migrant workers into urban residents who are socially integrated into city life, is obviously lagging behind.

This means that China must take a new path of urbanization, one that features Chinese characteristics. Through this book, readers can learn about both the official and mainstream views on the new urbanization initiative and become familiar with the multi-directional probes on this issue in academic circles. By the end, the read will have a comprehensive and balanced understanding of the complete picture.

The book, co-published by the UK-based Global China Press (GCP) and New World Press (NWP), is Vol. 1 of the China Urbanization Studies book series. It will select the best works on China’s urbanization from both inside and outside of China.

This book is edited by Xie Chuntao, a professor and director of the CPC History Teaching and Research Department at the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC. He is the author of many books, most notably: “Why and How the CPC Works in China” (Chinese and English editions), “Governing China: How the CPC Works” (Chinese and English editions), and “Challenges for China: How the CPC Makes Progress” (Chinese and English editions).

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