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Mountains and mountain regions are an important system in the global eco-environment. With the global eco-environmental changes since the 1970s, research on the mountain regions and cities has heated up in China and the whole world. Applying ecological concepts and methodology, this paper calls for a sustainable development of mounturban spatial structure that adapts to the features of mountains' physical and social environment. Drawing from the author's planning and designing practice in the past 40 years, the paper suggests six principles to guide mounturban planning and construction: 1) Organic distribution and compact concentration; 2) On-the-spot equilibrium principle for integrated residence growth; 3) Multi-centered clustering; 4) Greenspace wedging-in; 5) Principle of diversity; and 6) Local character. Case studies showcase a few different spatial structure models such as the multi-centered cluster, the green-core ring-shape, the sandwich model, the palm-finger pattern, and the lake-side groups. The feasibility and functions of these spatial patterns are discussed. The author addresses the importance of ecological development in the planning of mountainous cities and tries to establish a spatial model of mountainous cities that fits the dense and three-dimensional environment of Chinese mountainous cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education in China experienced dramatic expansion in recent years. This paper focuses on the recent reforms and future challenges in financing the rapidly expanding Chinese higher education system. It is argued that the growing college-age population, roaring social and private demands for higher education opportunities, increasing financial needs of universities and colleges, and competing demands for resources from primary and secondary levels of education will result in serious challenges for higher education financing in China. Strategies to tackle these challenges will be discussed briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]