EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 219 Brombal Daniele (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) Politics at Play in China’s Sustainable Urban Development. A Case Study on Urban Renewal and Environmental Management Key words: China, Urban Planning, Environmental Management, Sustainability, Politics Urban planning and environmental management in China are increasingly integrated. This is particu- larly common in cities where pressing needs for pollution control, land and water remediation intersect with objectives of urban renewal. The Chinese leadership pursues the integration of these complementary aspects of urban development by making ample reference to the concept of sustainability. This presentation explores the political construction of such an integration, by analysing (a) the ways through which political actors holding different agendas and interests might converge on a common perspective; (b) the institutional setting(s) created to pursue coordination among different bureaucratic structures; and (c) the contradictions unfolding from the instrumental use of the concept of sustainability. These processes are analysed with a case study approach focusing on Wuxi (Jiangsu Province), considered by many a model of sustainable development for Chinese middle-sized cities. In 2002, the city embarked on an ambitious plan to cope with long standing pollution issues of the Lihu lake. The potential for economic benefits derived from touristic and recreational activities played a fundamental role in generating consensus among local political actors. Ad-hoc bureaucratic structures played an important role in fostering such consensus, allowing for the achieve- ment of remarkable results in terms of environmental performance. In the process however social aspects of sustainability where largely overlooked, while views held by most powerful actors remained dominant. In such a context, the idea of sustainability appears to be utilized as an instrument to pursue development objectives defined by an élite, rather than a path reflecting on the social potential in building sustainable urban environments. The paper draws on extensive fieldwork carried out in 2014–2015 in the framework of the EU-FP7 project “Global Partners in Contaminated Land Management. Fabinyi Michael (James Cook University) The Social Context of the Chinese Food System: An Ethnographic Study of the Beijing Seafood Market Key words: China; seafood; consumption; food system; ethnography China’s role in the global food system has expanded immensely in recent years. In the seafood sector, it is now the largest consumer of seafood products in the world, making the Chinese market highly significant for global fisheries. Drawing on ethnographic and interview based research in the largest seafood market in Beijing, this paper analyses the social context of Chinese consumption and trade. We broadly conceive of this social context as encompassing a range of social norms and practices that include culturally and historically generated consumer preferences, and distinctive forms of governance and business practice. We find that the social context of China is a key driver of patterns of consumption and trade, and provides challenges and opportunities to improve governance for environmental sustainability. We highlight the need for greater policy and academic attention to these characteristics of seafood consumption and trade within China.