This book is the outcome of a study on China’s urbanization in the past 30 years. The study was sponsored by the National Social Science Fund of China (number of the approval document: 15ZDC007). Originally published by Orient Publishing Center in August 2019, the book was edited and republished in March 2020.
The book, consisting of twelve chapters, runs around 160,000 words. It grapples with a variety of topics, including new visions for civilization, essence and implications of order of civilized cities, civilized pursuits of a modern society, urban life in modern cities, social modernization in the era of big data, cloud governance, and construction of a global civilization context, by combining perspectives and methods from multiple research fields, including urban studies, comparative studies between China and the West, economics, and the context of globalization. The discussion is divided into three levels: (1) At the macro level, it systematically expounds theoretical and practical issues about civilization and civilized cities, and interprets the principles, theories, and philosophical thoughts related to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; (2) at the micro level, huge amounts of data and a large number of case studies are used to demonstrate the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and China’s state governance system; (3) on the front of international relations, it not only focuses on China’s reality but also establishes an international perspective, highlighting the concern for the “community of shared future for mankind”.