This book describes the dramatic economic and spatial transformation in China’s Pearl River Delta region over the past decade. Reforms introduced by the Chinese government since 1978 were the cause of this transformation. The Pearl River Delta has had the highest recorded rate of economic growth in East Asia and has done so through a pattern of development which differed significantly from that found in other regions of fast growth. George Lin reviews the processes by which this remarkable transformation was achieved and discusses the implications of such change. Red Capitalism in South China looks at theories of regional development and the patterns of spatial and economic restructuring in the Delta, and provides three case studies which focus on the transformation of the peasant economy, transport development, and the influence of Hong Kong.

George C.S. Lin's profile page

George C.S. Lin is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong

... well-researched and handsomely produced ... Red Capitalism in South China is a must for scholars interested in China and for anyone interested in the economic development strategies that might be employed by rural areas in general.

Canadian Book Review Annual

(In this) clearly written and well-researched book ... Lin has successfully tested Western theories of economic and spatial development in the Pearl River Delta in the post-reform period ... He has made a great contribution to the literature on post-reform China, and this book should be read by all who are interested in China’s recent economic development. Indeed, it would make a good supplementary text for a course on the geography of China.  It is hoped that a second edition will appear soon.

China Review International

This book gives a particularly good account of the economic and spatial transformation of the Delta in the reform period ... The book is well written and produced, with arguments often supported by very good maps and graphs ... it is definitely a worthwhile library purchase.

Asian Studies Review, 22:4