The world has become mesmerized by China's spectacular urban achievements. Its cities have become engines of the global economy. Yet Chinese cities are embedded in a complex system whose continued progress demands equal attention to both the city and countryside.
The mission of the Chew-Liang Program is to promote a better understanding of rural issues among urban scholars and policy makers. Its goal is the support of a U.S.-China academic exchange program that highlights first-person rural experience. Ultimately, this program aims at improving the well-being of Chinese rural people and thus human welfare in the world at large.