Jean-Marie Duthilleul, architect and president of the French architectural firm AREP, has been interested in Chinese culture since he was a student at Polytechnique in the 1970s. Now, as part of AREP, he has contributed to the country's development with the company's advanced urban planning expertise.

According to data provided by AREP, China's urban inhabitants increased from 77 million in 1953 to 190 million in 1980, and had surged to 470 million by 2000.