Research progress of Chinese city networks

Chinese city networks have attracted tremendous research attention in recent years (Timberlake et al. 2014). Since the beginning of China’s reforms, cities in China have achieved sustained and rapid growth, with a significant increase in their global influence. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other Chinese cities have become important nodes and hubs in the world city network (WCN). More importantly, they have been gradually reshaping the very structure of the WCN (Derudder et al. 2013, 2018; Taylor et al. 2014b). In addition, China possesses a vast territory with significant regional differences. These conditions not only form complex city networks at the national level, but they also create unique regional city networks in China (Zhao 2011; Zhen et al. 2013; Zhao et al. 2015a). Moreover, the development of cities in China has been strongly influenced by the background settings in China. Therefore, the dynamics of the formation and evolution of Chinese city network structure are unique (Ma and Timberlake 2008; Zhao et al. 2015a; Pan et al. 2017). The perception of cities as network nodes in academia has evolved over time. The external connections of a city are considered its second nature (Taylor 2004), and each city is seen as a relationship phenomenon (Scott 2012). The establishment of multiple intercity connections can be important to the development of a city (Amin and Thrift 2002). Globalization and informatization have greatly changed the spatial organization patterns of cities typically manifested by the increasing spatial differences of cities and the continuous linkages between them (Dicken et al. 2001; Sheppard 2002; Florida 2003). Thus, cities have formed extensive and complex interconnections at different spatial scales. These interconnections have presented a network-based spatial organization structure, namely, the city networks (Camagni and Capello 2004). The city network offers an important perspective for analyzing external connections of cities. As a dimension of social spatial relations, the city network can well analyze the spatial flows of capital, information and other essential elements. In city network research, size is no longer the sole determinant of function, and geographical proximity does not necessarily mean that linkages between cities are closer (Wang 2007; Li 2015).