Small town development in socialist China: a functional analysis

Abstract

For years, China's urban policy has favored the development of small cities and towns. Chinese towns have been growing rapidly since economic reforms were initiated in 1979. Two types of towns in China's southern province of Guangdong are quantitatively analyzed to reveal their functional features. The county towns and market towns are found to be different in the forms of enterprise ownership, employment structure, educational and health facilities, urban infrastructure, and in the absorption of surplus rural labor. Manufacturing dominates the employment of both county and market towns. The functional features of the Chinese towns have significant implications for policy making and urban planning. © 1993.