Analysis of Rural Transformation Development and Restructuring in China

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the spatio-temporal characteristics of China’s rural transformation development based on three dimensions of rural development level, rural transformation level, and urban-rural coordination level. Then, the degree of rurality in recent China at county level was evaluated using classical methods and successive national census data, so as to present a comparable picture of rurality and to improve our knowledge about current characteristics of China’s rural and regional differences. Finally, the rural restructuring in China affected by the allocation and management of critical resources, including human resource, land resource and capital, was analyzed. As for the relationship between rural transformation development and rural restructuring, the author argues that rural restructuring is a process of realizing rural transformation development, which is the result of rural restructuring. Under rapid urban-rural transformation development, China’s rural areas are facing a series of challenges, which are protruding in the following aspects: rural human resource allocation takes on the trend of low level and the mainstream of rural development is weakening; nonagriculturalization, non-grain preference and abandonment of farmland use together with the derelict and idle rural housing land result in low efficiency of rural land use; unfair urban-rural allocation of capital and its structural imbalance gradually weaken the self-development ability of rural China. Aiming at how to adapt to the challenges due to the changes of allocation of critical resources including human, land and capital, it is pivotal to restructure the rural development space, rural industry, and rural social organization and management mainstream.