Bridging social capital as a resource for rural revitalisation in China? A survey of community connection of university students with home villages

Abstract

Rural China faces many challenges, including outmigration, brain drains, and the hollowing out and decline of villages. This paper offers a response by drawing attention to the phenomenon of “community connection” among migrants in urban areas who try to keep their identity and attachment to home communities in the countryside. From the perspective of bridging social capital, we argue that community connection is a potential resource for rural revitalisation. The value and conditions of using community connection are revealed through a survey conducted with over 1200 university students in China, coming from a rural family background. This paper contributes to the literature in the following aspects: First, community connection provides a foundation upon which bridging social capital can be linked with and used for the development of home community, an important condition for successful rural revitalisation. Second, the potential of community connection requests in recognising a sense of community among migrants who are attaching to, and willing to bring external resources into, home communities. Third, a sense of community varies greatly with geographic location and the social group with which migrants belong to. A greater sense of community and place attachment is more likely found amongst those coming from remote villages and rural poor, whose livelihoods are heavily dependent upon traditional agriculture. Furthermore, differences in a sense of community may lead to different approaches or attitudes to ongoing land transfer in the countryside. Policy implications, research limitations and directions of further research are discussed.