Exploding China

Exploding China - on September 13 in Amsterdam - was a programme on unknown Chinese megacities like Wuhan (10 million inhabitants), Shijiazhuang (9 million) and Chongqing (33 million). These cities are transforming at breakneck pace into the big brothers and sisters of global cities like Rio de Janeiro, London and Moscow. Here, China is constructing the biggest urban society the world has ever seen. During Exploding China, Chinese and Dutch experts shine their light on the developments in these new cities and talk about the implications for the rest of the world. Two of the Chinese speakers attended this event with support of the DutchDFA programme.

The transformation follows a ruthless logic: farmers demolish their homes and build their own high-rise apartment blocks, torn down again by city authorities in the name of progress. Everywhere in the country, new business districts, skylines and complete ghost cities come into being.

The effects are felt far outside China. The growing urban middle class has ever more money to spend, driving up demand for luxuries worldwide. Chinese students are conquering the lecture halls of Harvard and Yale. On the other hand, urbanisation has severe implications in terms of sustainability: it causes higher emissions of greenhouse gasses and puts further pressure on dwindling oil and gas reserves.

In a refreshing program with presentations, live interviews, theatre, music and debate, Chinese and Dutch experts shone their light on the breathtaking developments in these new cities, and talk about the implications for the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world.

Editor-in-chief Jiang Jun of the renowned magazine Urban China shared his vision on the consequences for his hundreds of millions of farmers who exchange the countryside for the city. Architect / academicus Wang Fei held a lecture and a panel of famous Sinologists with prof Peter Ho and prof Stefan Landsberger will debate on the economic and social models that lie at the foundation of the 'Chinese miracle'.

Architect Daan Roggeveen and China correspondent Michiel Hulshof from the Go West Project showed the results of two and a half year of research in the world's fastest developing region and present their new book How the City Moved to Mr. Sun – China's New Megacities.

Exploding China was a coproduction of the Amsterdam City Theatre and the Go West Project.The programme is supported by SICA, NRC Handelsblad, KLM Airlines, Ampek, DutchDFA and SUN Architecture.