MARK BAKER: The State & Spatial Inequality in Modern China [Research Talk]

The city of Zhengzhou is one of the urban success stories of modern China, growing from small-town origins to become railway junction, industrial centre, provincial capital, and now the megacity of north-central China. This new book examines the ‘spatial politics’ of Zhengzhou and its hinterland since 1900, showing how the political decisions of successive states generated inequality between regions, between neighbouring cities, and between rural and urban areas. The last two chapters of the book examine patterns of spatial inequality in post-1978 China, arguing that while much has been achieved in recent decades, important engines of inland regional growth such as Zhengzhou face both old legacies and new challenges on this issue.

(Harvard Asia Center, 2024).

, Lecturer in East Asian History at the University of Manchester (UoM) will be joined in conversation by , Lecturer in Urban Planning at UoM. Their wide-ranging discussion will explore issues of politics, inequality and development in China from the late Qing to the present day.

promotes multidisciplinary research, teaching and programming with impact beyond academia, seeking to remedy class, racial, gender, and other inequalities, and to improve mutual understanding in UK-China relations. The MCI is based at the University of Manchester.

The venue is equipped with a platform lift and accessible toilets. More details can be found here.

The organisers will be taking photos during this event. If you prefer not to be included in any photos, kindly inform the organisers before the event starts.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Oddfellows Hall (Boardroom), Grosvenor Street, Manchester, United Kingdom