This research analyzes the spatial patterns of regional development in
China through the change of population density functions from 1982 to 1990,
using several online digital data sets. To minimize the influence of physical
environment on population densities, the study areas are limited to four major
plains of China: the Northeast (Dongbei), North China (Huabei) and HubeiHunan
(Lianghu) Plains, and the Sichuan Basin. A gravity-based delineation
approach is used to delineate the influence regions of 17 cities. Regional densities
in China decline with distance from a city, similar to western countries. In
addition, areas close to central cities grew faster than remote areas, described as
a trend of centralization. However, regions with strong core growth are generally
associated with stagnant hinterlands (‘core growth-hinterland stagnation’); and
regions with moderate core growth are usually matched by similar growth rates
in the hinterlands (‘spread through growth’).