City of Mountains and Seas: A Chronicle of Jinwan’s Development

Shanhai Jinwan: A Chronicle of Jinwan's Development is an epic history of urban development spanning half a century. It tells the sweeping story of Jinwan, a small coastal town that grew from a poor fishing village into a modern seaside city. The story begins in 1978, when architect Zhang Yuke arrives in Jinwan. Faced with a budget deficit and struggling living conditions, he draws on his forward-looking planning ideas and pragmatic approach to reform to lead Jinwan through its first steps toward development. Over the following decades, generation after generation of leaders carry the work forward: some uphold ecological boundaries, some drive industrial upgrades, some embrace the tide of opening up, and some explore a digital future. They draw up blueprints between mountains and sea, and find their bearings at the forefront of the times, together creating a true-to-life record of urban change, cultural heritage, and sustainable development in practice. Using Jinwan as a microcosm, this book shows the wisdom of balancing planning with nature, development with conservation, and tradition with innovation in the course of urbanization. It is a shared urban memory for everyone, and a song of the times honoring the countless ordinary people who built the city.