Business is good for Yan Yingang. Gang's Family Cooking, the small restaurant where he offers hearty meals from his home province of Heilongjiang, is always packed at noon with patrons ordering beer and liquor alongside big plates of rice and meat dishes. But Mr Yan takes little pleasure in this, for the men in army coats and muddy shoes who wolf down his food are going to knock down his restaurant in a few days as the entire neighbourhood is to be redeveloped.

Mr Yan is just one of tens of millions of Chinese caught up in the rapid urbanisation, which has been one of the main drivers of economic growth over the past 20 years. Since only 45 per cent of the population live in cities, this movement has at least another decade to go, say economists.

The global financial crisis has failed to put the brakes on urbanisation. China's extensive stimulus spending has, if anything, accelerated the process.