Progress of chinese regional geography studies in recent twenty years

Abstract

Regional geography, embodying the regionality and integration, is the kernel of Geography. Since the 1980s, the Chinese geographers have extensively taken part in the social practical activities and made progress in physicogeographical regionalization, economic regionalization, territorial (regional) development planning, construction of special economic zone, and integrated research in the major areas of China. Through these works, the theories of regional geography have been richened and the capacity participating in the social practice promoted as well. In China, many regional researches had been conducted respectively from the aspects of regional physico-geography and regional economic geography, etc. According to the cases, this paper gives a review on the studies of regional geography during the latest two decades in China. It ought to be indicated that the natural and human components should be combined and the disciplines intersected and permeated, with the support of advanced technology. In order to serve the regional sustainable development, on the background of global change, this is an inevitable tendency for the development of the regional geography.