The numbers are staggering. Canadians cannot imagine a supercity bigger than Uruguay with a population of 130-million. But, in an effort to rein in ultra-expensive BEIJING, the Chinese government is expanding the surrounding region and incorporating the port city of TIANJIN (population 8-10 million) and the hinterlands of Hebei Province into one.

       <PHOTO ABOVE – the port city of TIANJIN>

BEIJING will be the creative and cultural centre of the 82,000-square-mile megalopolis, with TIANJIN providing economic muscle. Satellite towns and cities will be connected by high-speed rail. Already 25-storey housing blocks are stretching to the horizon, so this project is well underway.

JING-JIN-JI, as the region is called, gets its name from “Jing” for Beijing, “Jin” for Tianjin and “Ji”, the traditional name for Hebei Province.

<PHOTO ABOVE – taken by the Expedition 26 crew, NASA, 2010; Beijing on the upper left, Tianjin bottom right>

<PHOTO – high-speed rail, Tianjin to Beijing>

Much has been written about the plan – the latest being a New York Times article with photos and a video. The address – http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/world/asia/in-china-a-supercity-rises-around-beijing.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1&gwh=F3C087331CB90C718B35CF1C3515C6D5&gwt=pay&assetType=nyt_now