This introductory essay  to the book Prosperous Lishu: A Project for Suburban China is a tale of the research, design and teaching activities undertaken for this research. The essay is structured in four parts. The first introduced the main changes in Chinese urban policies, and the programmes promoted for improving the living condition in the countryside areas over the last decade. The second presents the urbanisation trends in Lishui, highlighting the shift from an urban-centric approach toward a more comprehensive and coordinated development. This has culminated in the competition Future Shan-shui City: Dwelling in Lishui Mountains, promoted by the municipality in 2020, which is described in the third section. Finally, the last part introduced the activities undertaken for the competition, and the teaching classes of the Master Degree in Architecture, Construction, City at Politecnico di Torino, and the CO-RUN Program at the South China University of Technology.