But last month's announcement of another audacious project – the launch of three artificial moons into space over the next four years to illuminate cities at night and reduce the need for street lights – has been greeted with some scepticism. The first moon, made of a reflective material that will shine eight times brighter than the real moon on an 80-square-kilometre area over the southwestern city of Chengdu, will be launched in 2020. "How will the orbital mechanics work?" asks Pesce. "How will it maintain a permanent, stationary position? What happens when the mirror degrades, or gets struck by a meteoroid?"

Others have questioned whether the artificial moons might disturb wildlife and plant life, although their developers claim the reflective discs will produce only a harmless, dusk-like glow. While China's centrally planned economy ensures massive infrastructure projects like this not only get the green light but are built at world-beating speed, the environmental costs can be enormous. Already the Three Gorges Dam has led to a decline in local plant, fish and animal populations. The construction of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge saw local numbers of endangered Chinese white dolphins plummet by 40 per cent.

"The rate of infrastructure development is staggering," says Pesce, who has just returned from a trip to China.

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