Chinese Cities feature in Hub Culture 2010 Zeitgeist

Hub Culture have released their zeitgeist list for 2010. This year, they focused on two big themes: access to resources and the environment. The list is a result of responses from members of the Hub Culture network.

Several Chinese cities feature in the list – Shanghai at number 5 and Beijing at number 11. Hong Kong is number 10.  Here’s what they say about each of those cities:

5. Shanghai (2009 Rank: 10)

Shanghai is in for a good year.  The central government is pushing the city as a regional financial center, and the upcoming World Expo will put the city at the center of our visions for the future.  More visitors are expected in Shanghai from May to October than ever before, and the city has been preparing for this moment for years: new metro lines, restaurants, traffic rules and more are fulfilling the Shanghai vision of ‘Better City – Better Life’. 2010 is Shanghai’s moment, crossing from the beta to alpha list of world cities in the minds of many.

10. Hong Kong (2009 Rank: 8)

Hong Kong remains vibrant and exciting, strong on every front.  It dips not for any other reason than the fact that other places have more upward momentum.  As the years pass, Hong Kong feels more and more like a perennial leader than an up-and-comer, but it lacks depth in areas of the economy and global cultural reach that can’t be helped.  Some feel that the city is on a path toward Monaco – a haven for the rich, while others see it as the eastern New York – a power player.  In the end, it will probably be a bit of both, yet neither – which is why Hong Kong has been and always will be special.

11. Beijing (2009 Rank: 3)

Well, the Olympics are definitely over.  Beijing fell in favor this year on the heels of some rather nasty developments that do not invoke a lot of confidence in zeitgeisty ideals – from the recent jailing of dissidents to internationally questioned executions to a harder line on Tibet.  As the world sees a fist with less velvet and more iron, the glow flickers.  On the other hand, Beijing is making great strides on pollution reduction, new green policies for the city, and innovation at large – especially with regard to the environment.  This makes the city one to watch, as the world hopes for more green velvet in 2010.

View the full list over at Hub Culture

Image credit: Flickr

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This entry was posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 7:19 pm. It is filed under Asia, China, Geography and tagged with cities, environment, urban planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.