Abstract
This chapter takes a review of the urban development of Beijing during the twentieth century in three stages: first, before the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1900–1949); second, during the period of the planned economy (1949–1979); and third, during the transformation towards the market economy (1979–2005). The review for each stage includes three aspects: the planning policies of the city, the redevelopment of the old city proper and the development of its urban housing.
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Notes
- 1.
Li is a Chinese unit of length, 1 li is equal to 1/2 km.
- 2.
In Mongolian it had been known as Khanbalig, or the City of the Grand Khan, and in the West the city was also known as Cambaluc, the Venetian traveller Marco Polo’s transliteration of the Mongolian name.
- 3.
These powers were Britain, Germany, Russia, France, America, Japan, Italy and Austria.
- 4.
The names were changed into Jianguomen (Gate of National Construction) and Fuxingmen (Gate of National Rehabilitation) after Japan surrendered.
- 5.
During 1927–1949, the national capital was moved to Nanjing, on the Yangzi River. Beijing lost its capital status and in 1928 was renamed Beiping, with the status of special municipality. But during the period of Japanese occupation (1937–1945), the city was renamed as Beijing.
- 6.
The “Ten Major Constructions” included: the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of History, the National Military Museum, the National Agricultural Exhibition Hall, Beijing’s Railway Station, the Worker’s Stadium, the National Cultural Palace, the National Hotel, Diaoyutai State Guest Hall and the Overseas Chinese Building.
- 7.
The Great Cultural Revolution was a radical movement in China initiated by Mao Zedong in 1966. It intended to eliminate counterrevolutionary elements in the government and resulted in purges of the intellectuals and ended in socioeconomic chaos. It was on a mammoth scale, lasted for two years in its intense form, lingered on for another year and a half, and was not officially declared over until 1976.
- 8.
During the Great Cultural Revolution, many functions of the government’s departments were performed by Communist Party Committee.
- 9.
Not long after the Great Cultural Revolution, the government acknowledged that the demolition of Beijing’s city walls was short sighted. In 1980s, a mile-long segment of the inner city walls at the south-east corner, which was almost pulled down completely, was reconstructed. In 2003, Beijing’s municipal government decided to reconstruct Yongdingmen Gate, one gate of the outer city walls, at the southern end of the urban central axis. In September 2004, the gate was re-erected at the site a little north to the original site.
- 10.
Reforms and opening-up: In December 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to shift the focus of the Party's work to economic development and set a policy of reform and opening-up to the outside world. It is a historic landmark in China’s modern history. Since then China has gradually transformed from a planed economy to a market economy.
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Wang, Y. (2016). A Review of Beijing’s Urban Development in the Twentieth Century. In: A Century of Change. The Urban Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39633-0_2
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