Abstract
Using actor-network theory (ANT), this paper explores the process and mechanisms of rural space reconstruction in China in the post-urbanization era. In the context of urban–rural integration development in China, villages have become diversified. They are not only the living spaces of villagers, but they are also consumption spaces of urban residents. Through a case study of a typical village in the Yangtze River Delta, this study highlights that the actor-network of rural spatial reconstruction includes heterogeneous actors, such as the village committee, villagers, governments, tourism enterprises, makers, housing, and landscape—among which the Lishui Government is the key actor. Therefore, this paper argues that China’s rural space reconstruction is greatly dependent on external resources such as government policy support or enterprise investment. In the future, promoting public participation will be necessary to realize villages’ endogenous transformation and development.
Highlights
For a long time, China’s agricultural and rural development has been lagging
Based on the ontology of post-structuralism, this study focuses on system dynamics and openness and establishes a heterogeneous actor network for Shishanxia‘s spatial reconstruction
actor-network theory (ANT) provides a novel analytical framework for studying rural spatial reconstruction involving the participation of heterogeneous agents [37]
Summary
China’s agricultural and rural development has been lagging. agricultural productivity and farmers’ living standards are relatively low. The model considers that the development of the local economy, the interaction of residents, their land, and immigrants in rural areas are the main factors that cause rural spatial change in this region. Based on the theory of spatial production, Gao and others carried out an empirical observation of Dashan Village in Gaochun, Nanjing, revealing the process of reproduction of rural space driven by consumer culture, and they proposed that the urban–rural relationship in China is changing from explicit deprivation to implicit discipline [27]. Most of the existing research on rural spatial reconstruction relates to settlement optimization and the impact of urban consumer culture on rural areas. The reconstruction of rural space is considered the result of a heterogeneous network formed by different participants
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