This course introduces students to an important region of the world – the “Greater China,” comprising mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Rapid economic growth in mainland China in the last four decades has brought significant changes to the country and a greater role of this region in the global economy. Yet China is beset by many problems that threaten to disrupt stability and derail development. Despite their greater economic integration in the last three decades, recent social and political developments of these three economies have also generated new tensions beyond the region (see, e.g. this latest development in relation to USA).
The course begins with an overview of the physical geography and history and then focuses on major current geographical issues in development: agriculture, population, the rural-urban divide, trade, and the integration and problems among mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
List of Topics to Cover:
- Overview
- Physical Landscape and Regions
- Historical Context
- Industrialization and Rural-urban Divide
- Agricultural Systems and Reforms
- Population Dynamics
- Beyond the Mainland: Hong Kong and Taiwan
- “One Country, Two Systems”