Cities, as both organising forces and habitats, characterise human development. They also facilitate the emergence of religions, beliefs, cultures and global capitalism. City life has been the global experience, and a critical understanding of the cultural, social, religious and environmental aspects of cities and their inhabitants is thus of paramount importance. This course examines a rich array of themes and makes use of a variety of sources to illustrate how Chinese cities have been understood historically and to survey the changing ways in which cities have been depicted and represented in different types of texts. It provides valuable insight into the emerging multi-cultural and ethnic contemporary world through various learning activities, including large-class teaching and learning, tutorials, group projects, presentations, online discussions and field trips.