This book examines failure in the urbanisation of Northwest China as a result of government
industrial policies that have impacted on the economic development of the region. By looking at
the under-researched provinces of Gansu Qinghai and Inner Mongolia which make up a quarter of
China's territory Zheng and Deng challenge the common story of China's miracle growth and
reveal the dark side of the country's pursuit of modernity.Severe weather conditions chronic
drought permanent lack of oxygen and unforgiving terrain in the Northwest make farming
manufacture and services difficult simply because people tend not to stay. Yet China's current
political system forces growth to take place even though basic conditions and prerequisites for
market-based growth are missing. This volume analyses 'ghost cities' and social tension in the
process of 'forced urbanisation' in which huge amount of resources are wasted the local
environment is systematically damaged and ordinary people's basic rights are brutally violated
in the name of higher GDP and greater government glory.
