Final answer:
The allure of urban life in cities like Beijing lies in the social prestige, job opportunities, and superior amenities it offers compared to rural areas. Though cities also face issues like pollution and governmental restrictions, they promote economies of agglomeration which draw people toward them for a perceived better quality of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passage you provided discusses the aspects that make urban life, like that in Beijing, attractive to people such as Zhao. This appeal, or allure of urban life, is particularly significant in fast-developing countries like China, where there is a distinct divide between the prosperity seen in its major cities and the more challenging conditions found in rural areas.
Cities offer numerous benefits, leading to rural-to-urban migration. These benefits include better job opportunities, social prestige, and access to amenities—an aspect of what is known as economies of agglomeration. This term refers to the advantages derived from the spatial concentration of industries and services that reduce transportation costs and create more efficient markets.
However, cities, particularly in China, also face challenges such as poor air quality and pollution, as well as governmental control over information and expression. Despite these challenges, the trend of urbanization continues as cities evolve and develop, offering the potential of a higher quality of life and more economic opportunities compared to rural areas.