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- Abandoned neighborhoods, railroads without trains, empty offices - a bottom-up look at China's footprint in British cities.\ \
At the height of British-Chinese relations, Chinese investors poured billions of dollars into British real estate and projects annually, promising urban renewal and economic prosperity. But as the political situation in both countries changed, this money dried up. A decade later, we live today in the ruins of that “golden age.”Caroline Knowles explores China's global influence from a holistic perspective. Focusing on London and Manchester, she compares Beijing's grand claims to the crumbling physical evidence she finds on the ground: a series of unfinished buildings and abandoned pits. This is not just a British phenomenon; along the “Belt and Road” network stretching across the continent, Chinese-funded cities are a mosaic of shortages, the product of relentless, profit-driven urban planning that marginalizes humans.China's efforts to build cities using soft power fall short of the dreams presented in flashy brochures. By combining meticulous city observation and critical commentary, and interviewing property developers, Chinese immigrants, and other city dwellers, Knowles paints an intimate and accurate picture. This is the physical and human fabric of British China.
