The purpose of this volume is to treat the progress of history, civilization and urban development of China together in order to demonstrate the unique qualities of Chinese civilization.

The author uses historical dynasties as the vertical dimension, starting from the pre-urban origin of round-moat village settlements of the Yangshao Period, until the most recent transitional city under the present “socialist market system”. There are a total of 13 chapters, covering a time-span of roughly 6,000 years.

The book also discusses the theoretical context of the uniqueness of Chinese urban evolution and compares it with experiences in the West. It comprehensively treats major events, economic developments, territorial changes, and developments in technology, art and culture, military as well as administrative systems in the dynasties as urban change dynamics. The material therefore succinctly covers 6,000 years of Chinese cultural history.

Besides using a large amount of Chinese literature — including materials on recent archeological finds — the volume explores substantial Western literature on relevant issues with the purpose of putting the Chinese experience in a global context.

The author has included in the volume over 100 maps and line drawings selected from his collection accumulated over 30 years as a university lecturer and researcher of urban geography and the Chinese city. They provide vivid and readily apprehensible illustrations for illuminating key points on the structure of the Chinese city and the geopolitical situation of China in major historical periods. They also add exquisite detail through graphic techniques to the textual treatment of the subject matters, and are in themselves visually appealing, adding unique dimension to the volume.

The volume targets a wide spectrum of readers, and will appeal to anyone interested in the culture and civilization, cities, urban planning and economic, philosophical, political and historical developments of China.

Professor Victor Fung Shuen Sit is a Fujianist born in Guangzhou in 1947. He was raised and educated in Hong Kong since 1950, and obtained his B.A. (Hon.) and M.A. degrees from University of Hong Kong. During 1974–77 he studied in the London School of Economics in the UK and obtained a Ph.D. degree there. From 1947 to 2007 he had been a professor in the Department of Geography, University of Hong Kong. He is currently Founding Director of the Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University.

Professor Sit has authored and edited more than 40 books, and published over 100 papers in international academic journals, with city, regional development, infrastructure and economic strategy as their main themes. Books related to the present volume include: Beijing: the Nature and Planning of a Chinese National Capital, Chinese Cities, China's Regional Disparities, The Geography of Hong Kong and Macau, and Hong Kong Development Atlas.

His publications demonstrate the fusion of perspectives and methodologies of the East and West. Many are published bilingually in Chinese and English, one of the distinct features being the unique angle he takes in analyzing and interpreting the traditions and history of China.

Besides being a dedicated teacher and researcher, Professor Sit has also participated actively in politics. He had been a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Election Committee for the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, and, in 1993–2008, served as a Deputy of the National People's Congress of China.