This book offers a concise and yet diverse study on the Chengzhongcun. It has a broader scope, both geographical and temporal, than existing works on this topic. The typical Chinese urban informal settlement is related to morphologically similar communities to be found elsewhere in the world. The chapters' themes were inspired by the methods in historical geography, citizenship studies, and new cultural geography. What is truly unique to this book is that ten years after the basis material of this book was defended, it is enriched with practical experience and first-hand observations of the rapidly changing Chinese city. As urbanization in China slows, this book will interest sociologists, urbanists and scholars of China.
"For historians, geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, architects, political scientists, urban planners and art historians who share the same interest in urban studies, including global and local urban history, urban planning and governance, urban artistic practices, and urban tourism, this book may offer scholastic inspiration, bring inter-disciplinary dialogue, and point the way for future research in this field." (Fanghao Chen, Urban Studies, Vol. 60 (5), 2023)