China: Great Dragon Rising - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 317

2002, the sky of Shanghai was sparkling with fireworks
and the streets were filled with festive banners and Chi-
nese national flags. The Shanghainese were celebrating
their winning the bid to host the 2010 World Expo.
An unprecedented 86 world records were set at the
2008 games. Although the United States won 10 more
medals than China (110 to 100), China' s pride was
boosted by the fact that it earned more gold medals than
the United States (51 to 36).
Shanghai' is World Expo' is theme is “Better City—
Better Life.” This signifies the city' s new status in the
twenty-first century as a global economic and cultural
center. More than 190 countries and 50 international or-
ganizations are participating. Almost 100 foreign leaders
and 70 million visitors are expected. This will be the
largest Expo in history .
Beijing and Shanghai are global cities attaining
world-class status. Most importantly , their selections de-
pict a resounding international recognition of China as a
powerful nation, which is in no small part a product of
its increasingly central role in the global economy . T To
many Chinese, their successful bids to host world events
are evidence that once again “the Middle Kingdom” is
occupying the center stage of the world. Against the
backdrop of one century of failed resistance against
Western imperialism and an even longer period of do-
mestic turmoil, the perception and image of global-scale
successes are hotly sought after by the Chinese and con-
tribute further to a heightened sense of nationalism.

resultant denial of jobs to locals and cultural clashes sow
the seeds of resentment.
China is looking to African markets for its goods.
Everything from chandeliers and appliances to blankets
and plastic buckets proliferate across the continent. For
many , this gives access to relatively cheap products that
they never before could afford. For others, Chinese
goods represent an economic malignancy—displacing
African-made goods and destabilizing African industries.
In Zimbabwe, Chinese goods are called “ izhing zhong ,” a
derogatory , epithet that mimics Chinese speech and
highlights African dissatisfaction with Chinese goods en-
tering their markets.
Both Chinese and Africans view each other with sus-
picion. Africans worry about Chinese intentions, an un-
ease reinforced by their perceptions of their wealth,
stinginess, and social distance. An online response to a
BBC report about Chinese investment in Africa captures
this anxiety: “Asian invasion. They are everywhere. Infil-
trating like a colony of ants. . . . They hate other races and
they are ruthless. Watch out for them.” Similarly , Chi-
nese characterizations of Africans tend to be negative. In-
terestingly , the Chinese characters for “Africa” translate
literally as “negative continent.”
In Guinea, where China extracts iron ore, bauxite,
gold, and diamonds, people have looted and vandalized
Chinese shops. While African governments do not like
some of China' s policies, most are corrupt and are happy
to siphon off funds for themselves, typically into over-
seas bank accounts. Now China is backing off in some
unstable countries like Guinea and Congo that have un-
certain market climates.
Another way in which China is locking into networks
of globalization is by sending troops overseas to conflict
regions to help keep peace. China' s participation in UN-
sponsored peacekeeping missions has spread across
Africa. For instance, China has sent a large contingent to
Liberia and smaller ones to places such as the strife-ridden
Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. It is a major fi-
nancial contributor to UN peacekeeping operations as
well as to the African Union contingents. China has also
expanded its volunteer Communist Y outh League pro-
gram to place experts in areas such as agronomy , animal
husbandry , health, and linguistics in African countries.

Urban China

One of the most spectacular achievements since the 1980s
is the increase in the number of cities in China. Policy was
relaxed to permit the formation of more cities, and city sta-
tus became the mechanism to attract foreign investment.

NEW CITIES
The total number of cities rose from 194 in 1978 to 467
in 1990, to 660 in 2005 with a concomitant increase in
city population. A relatively large number of small and
medium-size cities have been added to the system.
In 2005, China had an urban population of 542 mil-
lion. Of a total of 660 cities across the nation, 171 are
mega-cities with more than 1 million people, 279 are big
cities with half to 1 million, and 210 are small and
medium cities with populations between 200 thousand
and half a million (Figure 11-15).

WORLD EVENTS
In 2006, billboards in Beijing publicized messages that
welcomed the world to come to the city as it was selected
to be the site of the 2008 Olympics. On December 3,