On Guangzhou’s Urban Planning And Construction In The Nationalist Era Of China,1911-1949

The Western ideology of modern urban design and planning theory was introduced toChina in the period of Republic of China. As a time of violent conflict and collision, researchon the history of urban development in Canton has a prominent and unique position in thepractice of urban planning and construction in Republic of China times. This paper tries toreveal the characteristic of Canton early modern city planning and discuss it’s historical andpractical significance during that time.The Guangzhou National Government and the Guangzhou municipal authoritiesattempted to re-establish control over the city, with advanced municipal construction of thegeneral public on the status of the new center of power and the dominant culture, not onlyrapidly reduced and in all aspects of the city large gap from the west, but also hoped toeventually follow the world development. not only to solve the problems of urbandevelopment in Guangzhou, but also to become a national model. From the beginning,Urban planning bears great historical mission and political significance.This dissertation reviews why and how “city planning” was transplanted andinstitutionalized in Modern China. To analyze the historical context behind the t developmentof Canton, the article begins with how Chinese planning was replaced by the Western andexamines particularly how modern “city planning” arose in Modern China as well as in theNationalist Government. Thereafter, the article analyzes the planning process and the texts ofCanton planning and construction so as to explain the corresponding relationship betweenstate sovereignty and urban planning. In addition, the active Republican politicians inGuangzhou, the local elite and the planning and construction experts and scholars inGuangzhou played an important role in the development of urban planning and constructionin Canton. Finally, this dissertation aims to study this phenomenon in the special political andhistorical framework to look into the operation of power and mechanisms behind the scene.The paper is a summary of experience and lessons of Canton, also for futuredevelopment prospective study. The academic value is not limited to the research of historyof Chinese cities, but also help to enrich the Chinese modern history, the history ofSino-foreign cultural exchanges.