Major Cities as a Country’s Typical Cultural and Economic Examples
Major cities are the usually typical example for one society both in culture and economy. When it comes to France, the first thing come to our mind is Paris, Marseille or Lyon, or when we talk about U.S, we will mention New York and Los Angeles. Thus, it is suggested that in order to understand a society one must study its major cities as much as possible. This claim is valid and reasonable from my perspective because major cities are usually the most developed and active places of political and economic activities and they can reflect the state of modern life and they are easily studied.
To begin with, major cities are the most developed parts of one society. In retrospect, most major cities around the world have a relatively long history of human activities compare to the rural area, consequently, they possess an adequate infrastructures and facilities to support people’s daily life. Thus, government departments and financial organizations are more likely located in major cities by utilizing these ready-made basic infrastructures. With an increasing number of institutions and enterprises gathered in the major cities, governments would distribute more social resources to develop major cities. The growth of major cities in recently decades followed compound interest law, which far exceeds other cities and countrysides. Therefore, we could not get an accurate picture of a society if we overlook studying of major cities. We could not precisely judge the total wealth and economic level in one society as majors cities usually produce most capital and GDP for societies.
Second, major cities are best epitomes of modern life in various society and modern lifestyle could reflect the contemporary state of societies. This is especially true for some developing countries that they spend hundreds of years to transfer from an agricultural society to post-industrial society. For example, if we still think any women from India cannot go out to find a decent job and must follow any orders by her husband, we will make a hasty conclusion about a society by paying much attention on past accomplishment. Nowadays, more and more girls graduated from colleges in Mumbai work with media, scientific research and IT and drink Startbucks during afternoon breaks. Therefore, to understand a society deeply we cannot neglect the current lifestyle of people.
Third, there are many records and materials can be provided in libraries and museums in major cities, which are beneficial for studying many aspects of societies. In order to attract more tourists, many cities have been preserving historical buildings, temples and historical relics which are also value references to studying of society. In contrast, some remote areas do not have adequate references being provided for researcher due to the lack of attention.
Some people may argue that given the globalization, major cities all resemble one another and one cannot tell the distinctions between different societies by simply studying major cities. Though sometimes we can barely tell the differences between a white-collar of a multinational corporation in Shanghai and the counterpart in Chicago, we still could find some clues in their value, family background or even diet to distinguish two different types of culture.
Admittedly, rural areas are also indispensable parts of studying a society and they usually serve as the supplementary for major cities. Because of the shortage of soil in major cities, the majority of crops planted in countryside deliver to cities day by day. Major cities almost cannot survive without the supports of villages. Hence, a thorough studying of a society must include both major cities and other places in a country.
In conclusion, major cities could be studied as the typical example to reflect a state of society. They are not only the most developed parts of a society but also could convey most adequate information and accessible messages for researchers who want to understand thoroughly a society.
