Over the past few decades, fast-paced urban development has been transforming Chinese cities in complex ways. This unprecedented hyper-urbanization could easily lead to homogenization and fragmentation, as manifested in uniform built form and spatial order, interrupted historical narratives and spatial continuity, and broken social fabric and community identity. Under this context, new waves of urban evolution and revitalization must reconsider how social, economic, cultural, political, and environmental factors underlie and intersect with rapid urbanization. The China field camp courses that took place in 2016 and 2019 offered planning students a unique opportunity to explore these pressing issues and potential solutions. The program was of three weeks in duration and consisted of lectures, seminars, and planning studio projects conducted in close collaborations with officials and professionals from local planning agencies and related organizations, as well as faculty and students from local higher education institutions.