📖 Overview
Fantasy Islands examines three eco-cities in China - Dongtan, Chongming, and Huangbaiyu - that were planned but never fully realized. The book analyzes these failed urban development projects through environmental, political, and social lenses.
The narrative focuses on the period between 2005-2012, tracking how these eco-cities moved from ambitious concepts to stalled or abandoned developments. Through research and fieldwork, Sze documents the complex interactions between Chinese officials, international firms, local residents, and environmental organizations involved in these projects.
The book places these specific development cases within broader contexts of Chinese modernization and global climate change responses. The analysis connects local Chinese environmental issues to international concerns about sustainability and urban planning.
The work raises questions about the gap between environmental promises and implementation, while exploring tensions between economic development, ecological protection, and social equity. Through these failed eco-cities, Sze illustrates larger patterns in how societies approach environmental challenges.
👀 Reviews
Book review sources are limited, with only 7 ratings on Goodreads averaging 4.14/5 stars, and 1 rating on Amazon.
Readers value the book's analysis of China's eco-cities and theme parks as case studies of environmental policy and development. Multiple reviews note the strong examination of how China's environmental projects intersect with nationalism and social control.
A reader on Goodreads states the book "offers fascinating insights into the intersections between environmental policy, nationalism, and development in China."
Main criticisms focus on the academic writing style, which some find dense and jargon-heavy. One review mentions the book assumes significant background knowledge of environmental policy and Chinese politics.
Ratings:
Goodreads: 4.14/5 (7 ratings)
Amazon: 5/5 (1 rating)
The limited number of public reviews suggests this book has a primarily academic audience rather than general readership.
📚 Similar books
Dreamworld by Rob Schmitz
The book examines Shanghai's rapid development through the lives of residents in a single street, revealing intersections of economic growth, environmental impact, and social transformation in modern China.
When A Billion Chinese Jump by Jonathan Watts A journey through China's environmental crisis explores how industrial development affects communities, ecosystems, and global climate patterns.
China's Environmental Challenges by Judith Shapiro The text analyzes China's environmental problems through political, economic, and social frameworks while connecting local issues to global environmental governance.
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh The work examines how culture, politics, and literature intersect with climate change in Asian contexts, focusing on the gaps between environmental reality and human understanding.
Toxic Politics: China's Environmental Health Crisis and its Challenge to the Chinese State by Yanzhong Huang The book connects China's environmental degradation to public health outcomes while examining the political mechanisms that both create and respond to ecological crises.
When A Billion Chinese Jump by Jonathan Watts A journey through China's environmental crisis explores how industrial development affects communities, ecosystems, and global climate patterns.
China's Environmental Challenges by Judith Shapiro The text analyzes China's environmental problems through political, economic, and social frameworks while connecting local issues to global environmental governance.
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh The work examines how culture, politics, and literature intersect with climate change in Asian contexts, focusing on the gaps between environmental reality and human understanding.
Toxic Politics: China's Environmental Health Crisis and its Challenge to the Chinese State by Yanzhong Huang The book connects China's environmental degradation to public health outcomes while examining the political mechanisms that both create and respond to ecological crises.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌏 Julie Sze is the founding director of the Environmental Justice Project at UC Davis, bringing her expertise in environmental justice to her analysis of China's eco-cities.
🏗️ The book focuses heavily on Dongtan, a planned eco-city near Shanghai that was meant to house 500,000 people but was never built, becoming a symbol of the gap between environmental ambition and reality.
🌿 The term "fantasy islands" refers not only to literal island developments but also to isolated zones of eco-development that exist separate from their surroundings, creating environmental and social disparities.
🔍 The author connects China's eco-city projects to broader global patterns of "green capitalism," where environmental protection becomes intertwined with profit-driven development.
🌊 The book examines how climate change anxiety and ecological fears shape urban planning in China, particularly in coastal areas vulnerable to rising sea levels.