Regional Polarization in Guangdong Province in South China

This paper examines the trends of regional development under the new regime of socialist-market system in Guangdong province in south China in the post-reform period. It is found that a regional polarization process towards the core Zhujiang Delta region has occurred along with a spatial restructuring process within the core region. The role of old central cities, such as Shaoguan, Zhanjiang and Shantou outside the core region, has been weakened gradually while the role of some emerging cities, such as Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Shunde, Nanhai and Panyu in the core region, has led them to become new growth centres. The dominant role of Guangzhou, established under the pre-reform planning system, has also been significantly weakened in the post-reform period. Among the forces of development having influence from above, from below or from outside, local government revenue and savings per capita are found to be the key factors of the development level in various localities, confirming the importance of the local government as a major actor in regional development in China.