Fantasy Islands

"Julie Sze has written a perceptive and engaging account of the hopes and dreams embodied in Dongtan and why the project was such an abysmal failure. A mix of critique and reportage, the weaving of a theoretical approach with that of a traveler whose father coincidentally grew up on Chongming, Sze masterfully unpicks the strands of what was intended as the world’s largest new environmental city. . . . An impressive achievement in looking through new eyes at China’s efforts to deal with its environmental challenges."

— Asian Review of Books

"Sze's exploration of the official self-delusion and public eco-desires that sustain fantasies such as Dongtan is compelling. . . . What Sze's exploration of the narratives of eco-modernism shows well is how flexible the creed of environmentalism can be – and how that quality can be manipulated."

— New Scientist

"Recommended reading for both those trying to get to grips with green purchasing in developing countries, as well as those interested in what the people on the street think of planning green and thinking huge. It is also a refreshing read compared to media coverage on the issue, which tends to label developments as 'hilarous' or 'bizarre', or just interview the big names involved, without providing much on-the-ground insight."

— LSE Review of Books

"Carbon-neutral, zero-waste and home to 500,000 people: the Chinese eco-city of Dongtan seemed a radical urban dream. But the city, to be sited near Shanghai on Chongming — the world’s biggest alluvial island — remains a blueprint. As Julie Sze argues in this thoughtful . . . analysis of Chinese “eco-desire”, the culprit could be irreconcilable beliefs in harmony with nature, and the ability of autocratic political structures to enact radical change."

— Nature