Urbanization in China or 37 percent of the total population in the mid-1980s—was relatively low by comparison with developed nations, the number of people living in urban areas in China was greater than the total population of any country in the world except India. The four Chinese cities with the largest populations in 1985 were Shanghai, with 7 million; Beijing, with 5.9 million; Tianjin, with 5.4 million; and Shenyang, with 4.2 million. The disproportionate distribution of population in large cities occurred as a result of the government's emphasis after 1949 on the development of large cities over smaller urban areas. In 1985 the
Land use in China in western China. The rail network is expanding nationwide to connect most cities with populations of at least 200,000. Land use in China China is experiencing massive land use changes and impacts to the environment due to an unprecedented period of economic growth, which has catapulted it from one of the world’s poorest countries 30 years ago to the world’s second largest economy today. Based on trends in economic development, population growth, and land use, China’s natural landscape will experience significant and increasing pressures well into the future. China has four times the population of the U.S., within roughly the