A Study of the Temporary Population in Chinese Cities

This study analyzes twenty official city websites as representations of their non-virtual locales.It is set against the background of increasing competition between different cities affected byeconomic globalization.The article relates certain characteristics of the websites, such as their size or presence orlack of certain sections, to certain measurable characteristics of the city that produces thewebsite, such as its size, its level of global control functions and its wealth level.Despite significant differences between the sample cities, their self-representation over theWeb often follows standardized patterns. The study suggests some correlation especiallybetween a city’s level of wealth and its web design style. However, the analysis shows that acity’s size, global significance or economic performance cannot sufficiently explain an officialwebsite’s structure