Building for Oil is a historical account of the development of the oil town of Daqing in northeastern China during the formative years of the People’s Republic, describing Daqing’s rise and fall as a national model city. Daqing oil field was the most profitable state-owned enterprise and the single largest source of state revenue for almost three decades, from the 1950s through the early 1980s. The book traces the roots and maturation of the Chinese socialist state and its early industrialization and modernization policies during a time of unprecedented economic growth. The metamorphosis of Daqing’s physical landscape in many ways exemplified the major challenges and changes taking place in Chinese state and society. Through detailed, often personal descriptions of the process of planning and building Daqing, the book illuminates the politics between party leaders and elite ministerial cadres and examines the diverse interests, conflicts, tensions, functions, and dysfunctions of state institutions and individuals. Building for Oil records the rise of the “Petroleum Group” in the central government while simultaneously revealing the everyday stories and struggles of the working men and women who inhabited China’s industrializing landscape—their beliefs, frustrations, and pursuit of a decent life.

该书致力于追溯鲍立克在上海的生活与工作轨迹，试图重构鲍立克在上海的十六年，包括青年时期在德国受教育和短期实践对他的影响，同时也关注尤其是1940年代中华人民共和国建国前夕国家，社会和技术精英对现代性的追求如何体现在上海这一特定历史空间范畴内，以及鲍立克作为一个国际专业人士与不同群体、机构是如何在相互影响之下共同营造出一个发展共同体——投射出其所追求的理想愿景——从而影响现代国家与城市建设的。 这种特殊个体的经历，对那些被遗忘或者有意识忽略的人物历程的记录，有助于描绘一个宏大的历史政治地理背景下中国城市及其规划的现代化进程更为丰富的图景，从而更好地理解都市文化、政治与教育、实践之间错综复杂的关系。