ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines forces of regionalisation and integration by investigating the Chinese beef industry. It explores the extent to which the industry is already integrated across regions and stresses the dangers and implications of an overly simplistic regional treatment of the industry. The book discusses the nature of and forces influencing regionalisation and integration in China through the window of the beef industry. It describes regionalisation in the cattle and beef industry. The book also explores the factors that have led to the spatial pattern of the industry and that have influenced regional integration. It focuses on an empirical investigation of price movements and market integration in mass beef markets in China. The book highlights what the findings of the study reveal about the process of regionalisation in China.
