Greenspace Exposure and Mortality in China

China’s unprecedented urbanization has a significant consequence on mortality rates over the past decades through the change in the quantity and quality of people’s exposure to vegetation. While numerous studies have investigated the effect of greenery exposure on mortality in developed countries, far less attention has been paid to this effect in China. This chapter provides a critical review of literature on the impacts of greenspace exposure on mortality in China and the rest of the world, particularly focusing on the variation by exposure metrics, demographic characteristics, types of mortality, and regional attributes. Empirical results unanimously indicated that greenspace exposure had a significant effect on reducing mortality in China, but results of the effect are inconsistent due to variations in contexts, exposure metrics, and the causes of death. This chapter ends with summarizing the limitations of previous research and indicating the direction of future research.