So they can pay more taxes to pay for more public programs for the people. The Chinese just have a different notion of "location, location, location." When my family first immigrated to L.A., my grandparents were aghast that the most expensive real estate is by the ocean. They were brought up with the thinking of seeking higher ground.

Agreed about the lack of scenery along the coast. The area by Shanghai, and stretching both north to Yangzhou and south to Ningbo, it's mostly flat, muddy, and sporadically industrial -- definitely not wild and unspoiled. Come to think of it, can anyone ever recall a classical Chinese painting depicting a beach?