Department of Geography and Resource Management

UGEB 2151 China’s Mega-projects in the New Millennium

(1st term, 2021-2022)

Lecturer: Dr. WANG Lang (Sino 243), Phone 3943 6638, E-mail <lang.wang@cuhk.edu.hk>
Tutor: Ms. ZHOU Zhengke (Sino 251A), Phone 9298 1516, E-mail <zhouzhk@link.cuhk.edu.hk>

Time: Friday 08:30 am-11:15 am; Location: Sino Building LT2

Course Outline

China has built the highest railway in the world (Qinghai-Tibetan railway), and a 4,200-km
natural gas pipeline from Xinjiang to Shanghai, and restored the flow of the nation’s longest
inland river (Tarim River) in Xinjiang. Some other mega-projects committed since the 1970s have
also been completed, including the Three-Norths Afforestation Shelterbelt (Green Great Wall),
the Three Gorges Dam, the North-South Water Transfer Scheme, the Clean Water-Blue Sky anti-
pollution schemes, and the designation of nature conservation reserves to preserve biodiversity.
More recently, high-speed railways have been constructed. These projects have been conceived
for decades and some are highly controversial on their environmental, economic and social
impacts. While the scale and impacts of these projects are unprecedented in the history of China,
are they environmentally sustainable and acceptable by the people? What are the purposes of
these projects and are there other alternatives? How will these projects affect China’s sustainable
development in the 21st century?

The course focuses on the background, decision-making process, pros and cons as well as long-
term implications of the mega-projects. Lectures will be supplemented with slides and videos
from time to time.

Course Content

1. Resources, population and development challenges of China

2. The Three Gorges Dam Project: A multi-purpose water conservancy project or a damned
project?
3. The West-East Gas Pipeline Project: Does Hong Kong get involved in the project that aims
to improve air quality and reduce CO2 emission?
4. The West-East Electricity Transmission Project: What are the reasons and impacts for the
giant transmission grid?
5. Qinghai-Tibetan Railway: Will this heavenly railway help develop China’s great west?
6. High-speed rail in China: Should be fast or slow?
7. South-North Water Transfer Project: Can water from afar quench the thirst of north China?
8. National Ecological Restoration Projects: How China is going green?
9. Cleaning up air pollution: Can China get to ‘Olympic Blue’?
10. Combating water pollution: A goal too far?

Course Objectives

Being the most populous country in the world, China is facing the problems of over-population,
resource depletion, desertification, droughts, floods, pollution, loss of biodiversity, unbalanced
regional development etc. Since 1978 the economy has grown rapidly and as of to date, it has
become a rising economic power of the world. However, environmental problems arising from
rapid economic growth have reached a point whereby sustainable development of the country is
threatened. The objectives of this course are fivefold:

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 1. To keep abreast with the latest development in China;
2. To understand the contradictions in China’s huge population, fast growing economy,
inadequate energy and resources per capita, and environmental sustainability;
3. To examine China’s decision-making processes in infrastructure construction;
4. To understand the principles, mechanisms and effects of environmental degradation at the
local, regional and national levels; and
5. To understand China’s response to new challenges in the 21 st century with respect to
national security and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Expected Learning Outcome

This course focuses on the objectives and implications of mega-projects in China while the
technical details will be briefly discussed. The course content is meant to be comprehensive,
integrated and multidisciplinary. After taking this course, students are expected to have a
comprehensive understanding about the latest development in China. The expected learning
outcomes shall include:

1. Understanding the challenges of China and possible solutions;

2. Learning how to think critically in general, and understanding complex socioeconomic and
environmental issues in particular;
3. Understanding the interrelationships between science, technology and environment, using
China as an example; and
4. Broadening students’ general knowledge of China.

Learning Activities

There will be lectures, quizzes, mini quizzes, group-based project and a term paper for this
course. Lecture notes are posted on Blackboard before/after each class. There will be two in-
class mini quizzes based on video watching. Participation and answering True/False and MC
questions in each of the 2 sessions. There will be three in-class quizzes. Both MC and essay
questions will be asked in the quizzes. A group-based project will also be conducted. Grouping
and selected topics will be finalized and announced in Blackboard after the add-drop period. Each
student is also required to submit a term paper and a field trip report at the end of the term. The
topics and guidelines will be announced after the add-drop period.

Assessment

Students will be assessed continuously. Questions in the quizzes are either extracted from the
required reading list or have been addressed in lectures. You are advised not to skip any classes
and read comprehensively.

Mini quiz (2 in total) 10%

Quiz (3 in total) 30%
Group-based project 20%
Term paper 30%
Field trip report 10%

Visit of Solar Farm at Siu Ho Wan Sewage Treatment Works

All students are required to participate, unless permission due to special reasons is given by the
instructor. The visit date will be scheduled on a working day based on class survey. The purpose
of the visit is to learn about the operation of the solar farm and sewerage water treatment works
with the focus of the three SDGs. Based on what you will see and learn in the visit, you are
required to attend group discussion and complete a field trip report around 2000 words.

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Class Schedule

Week Dates Activity Topic Instructor

Introduction: Resources, population and development
1 10 Sep Lecture Wang
challenges of China

2 17 Sep Lecture The Three Gorges Dam Project Wang

Lecture The Three Gorges Dam Project

3 24 Sep Wang
Mini Quiz Mini Quiz

4 Oct 1 Public Holiday

5 8 Oct
Lecture West-East Gas Pipeline Project Wang
Quiz 1 Quiz 1 (10:30-11:15 am)
6 15 Oct Lecture West-East Electricity Transmission Project Wang

7 22 Oct Lecture Qinghai-Tibetan Railway Wang

Lecture High speed rail in China

8 29 Oct Wang
Mini Quiz Mini Quiz
Lecture South-North Water Transfer Project
9 5 Nov Wang
Quiz 2 Quiz 2 (10:30-11:15 am)
Lecture National Ecological Restoration Projects Wang
10 12 Nov
Project Group-based Project TA
Wang
11 19 Nov Project Group-based Project
TA
12 26 Nov Lecture Cleaning up air pollution Wang

13 3 Dec
Lecture Combating water pollution Wang
Quiz 3 Quiz 3 (10:30-11:15 am)

Recommended reading list

Most of the reading materials are available in the Reference Room (Room 220) of the Department
of Geography & Resource Management. Some of the books are reserved in the University
Library. Additional references may be given after each lecture.

1. Resources, population and development challenge

Hsieh, C. and M, Lu (2004). Changing China: A geographic appraisal. Boulder:

Westview Press. 1-16.

Ping, Z. (2011). China's geography. Singapore: Cengage Learning. 3-22.

Veeck, G., C.W. Pannell, C.J. Smith., Y. and Huang (2007). China’s Geography:
Globalization and the Dynamics of Political, Economic and Social Change. Lanham:
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1-14.

Ash, R.F. and R.L. Edmonds (1998). China’s land resources, environment and

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 agricultural production. The China Quarterly, 156:836-879.

Chen, B. (1999). The existing state, future change trends in land-use and food
production capacities in China. Ambio, 28(8), 682-686.

Ma, H., O. Les, and J. Gibson. (2009) China's energy situation in the new millennium.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 13 (8): 1781-1799.

Smil, V. (1999). China’s Agricultural Land. The China Quarterly, 158: 414-429.

Varis, O. P, Vakkilainen (2001). China's 8 challenges to water resources management

in the first quarter of the 21st Century. Geomorphology, 41(2-3), 93-104.

林超英（2010）. 天地變何處安心. 香港：快樂書房有限公司.

溫鐵軍（2012）. 八次危機. 北京東方出版社.

方如康（1995）. 中國的地形. 商務印書館，3-13 頁.

孟繁華（1997）. 中國之難——當代中國的人口問題. 北京：今日中國出版社,

186-254 頁.

《中国的环境保护(1996—2005)》白皮书.
http://env.people.com.cn/GB/57414/57415/65503/65506/4435268.html

2. Mega-Projects

張國寶（2018）. 篳路藍縷——世紀工程決策建設記述. 北京：人民出版社.

Chau, K.C. (1995). The Three Gorges Project of China: Resettlement Prospects and
Problems. Ambio, 24:98-102.

Chen, G. (1998). The environmental impacts of resettlement in the Three Gorges

Project. In J.G. Thibodeau and P.B. Williams (eds.), The river dragon has come! The
Three Gorges Dam and the fate of China’s Yangtze River and its people (pp. 63-69).
Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe.

Edmonds, R.L. (2000). Recent development and prospects for the Sanxia (Three
Gorges) Dam. In T. Cannon (ed.), China’s economic growth: The impact on regions,
migration and the environment (pp. 161-183). Basingstoke: Macmillan; New York: St.
Martin’s Press.

Jan, G.P. (1998). Water resource management: the Three Gorges Project in China. In
D.K. Vaipeyi (ed.), Water resource management: A comparative perspective (pp. 51-
70). Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
Li, H. (2001). Reservoir resettlement in China: Past experience and the Three Gorges
Dam. The Geographical Journal, 167, 195-212.

Liu, C. (2000) Environmental Issues and the South-North Water Transfer Scheme. In

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Edmonds, R. L. (eds.), Managing the Chinese environment (pp. 175-186). Oxford:
Oxford University Press

South-North Water Transfer Project. RitchieWiki.

http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/South-North_Water_Transfer_Project

潘家錚, 張澤禎主編（2001）. 中國北方地區水資源的合理配置和南水北調問題.

北京：中國水利水電出版社. 1-65 頁.

張修真等編（1999）. 南水北調：中國可持續發展的支撐工程. 北京：中國水利

水電出版社.

Railway: The political message. (2001, February). Businessline, 1.

Tibetan railway under construction. (2001, September). International Construction,

40(7), 4.

江世傑. (2002) 跨世紀的英明決策——青藏鐵路建設的曲折歷程. 中國鐵路. (12):

13-27.

王力雄 (2004).“西部大开发”的代价. http://www.bjsjs.net/news/news.php?

intNewsId=1035

Chau, K.C. (2004). Xinjiang. In Yeung, Y.Y. and Shen, J. F. (eds.), Developing China’s
West, (pp.251-276), CUHK Press, Hong Kong.

Xiaoping Yang, Jufeng Gong and Paul D White (2006). The key role of water
resources management in ecological restoration in western China. Geographical
Research, 44(2):146-154.

China decides Tarim-Shanghai natural gas pipeline route. (2000, February). Oil & Gas
Journal, 98(9), 38.

China launches massive gas pipeline campaign. (2000, June). Oil & Gas Journal,
98(23), 63.

China: Green light for west-east pipeline. (2002, March). Petroleum Economist, 69(3),
37-38.

Smil, V. (1998). China’s Energy and Resource Uses: Continuity and Change. The
China Quarterly, 156:935-951.

Fischer, E. China’s high-speed rail revolution. Railway-technology.com.

http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature124824/

High-speed rail in China. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-

speed_rail_in_China
Yang, M. (2011) China Enters the Age of High-Speed Rail. In Yang, M. and Y. Hong.
(eds.), China’s industrial development in the 21st century. (pp. 199-224). Singapore:
World Scientific.

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 張學良, 聶清凱. (2010) 高速鐵路建設與中國區域經濟一體化發展. 現代城市研究.
(6) 7-10.

Johnson, T., F. Liu and R.S. Newfarmer (1997). Clear Water, Blue Skies: China
Environment in the New Century, World Bank, Washington D.C., Chapters 1, 7 & 8.

Kang, O. and L. Yong (1998). Management and utilization of water resources in the
People’s Republic of China. In D.K. Vajpeyi (ed.), Water resource management: A
comparative perspective (pp. 33-50). Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.

Ding, D., H. Bao and Y. Ma (1998). Progress in the study of desertification in China.
Progress in Physical Geography, 22(4), 521-527.

Steffen, A (2003). The fall of the Green Wall of China. WorldChanging. 29 December
2003.
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/000252.html

朱金兆, 周心澄, 胡建忠. 对“三北”防護林體系工程的思考與展望. 自然資源學

報, 19(1), 79-85.

Chen, G. (1999). Forest change: Hydrological effects in the Upper Yangtze River
Valley. Ambio, 28(8), 457-459.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT ACADEMIC HONESTY

Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to
the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and
regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.

With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are
aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures. In the case of group projects,
all students of the same group should be asked to sign the declaration, each of whom is
responsible should there be any plagiarized contents in the group project, irrespective of
whether he/she has signed the declaration and whether he/she has contributed directly or
indirectly to the plagiarized contents.
For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based
and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the
system upon students' uploading of the soft copy of the assignment. Assignments without the
properly signed declaration will not be graded by teachers. Only the final version of the
assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.

The submission of a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose
(e.g. to satisfy the requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect
shall be regarded as having committed undeclared multiple submission. It is common and
acceptable to reuse a turn of phrase or a sentence or two from one’s own work; but wholesale
reuse is problematic. In any case, agreement from the course teacher(s) concerned should be
obtained prior to the submission of the piece of work.

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