Introduction : China's path and progress -- Physical geographies : landscapes of diversity -- History : ancient roots and binding traditions -- Politics : the central kingdom in a globalized world -- Cities : the road to an urban revolution -- Population : demographic changes and challenges -- Inequality : rising social, economic, and spatial divides -- Economy : a preface to China's changing economic geography -- Agriculture : from antiquity to revolution to reform -- Industry : transition to the factory of the world -- Trade and transportation : new pillars of growth -- The environment : crises and response -- Taiwan : an enduring east asian miracle -- Hong Kong and Macao : postcolonial futures.