In the last four decades, hundreds of millions of Chinese have moved into cities. Today, two thirds of the country live in urban areas (compared to just one third in 1985), and many of these are hubs with tens of millions of people – mega-cities that many in the West have never heard of before.

On this episode, I’d like to take a look at urban life in China – so new to so much of the population. I’m joined by Austin Williams, who is an architect turned journalist, and author of two books on Chinese architecture. What is life like for people living in these dense city centres? Would they prefer a closer relationship with nature? And what about the housing slump, discussed recently on this podcast, and its impact on urban communities?

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