Urban Aspirations and Theme Park and Casino-led Transformations at Hengqin Island

Summary

In this article, I consider one aspect of the Chinese urban governance process – the intended creation of the third ‘New Area’ in China (after Pudong in Shanghai and Binhai in Tianjin) on the island of Hengqin in the Pearl River Delta. Part of the Guangdong province and within the jurisdiction of the city of Zhuhai, Hengqin lies in the immediate west of the Cotai Strip in Macao and is envisioned to be an international leisure and residential enclave with strong emphasis on non-gambling and family-focused entertainment, ecotourism and environment. Specifically, I report briefly on the various ways in which polices were discursively-shaped and the current material manifestations and transformations on the island town.