The countryside under multiple high-tension lines: A perspective on the rural construction of Heping Village, Shanghai

Abstract

Different rural developmental options exist because of different national and regional contexts. Since its reform and opening-up policy, China has undergone rapid urbanization and development, and rural-urban relationships have become disjointed. China's attempts to change these circumstances are inadequate. A new movement known as “rural construction,” which aims to promote or direct the social or economic development of rural areas, has been gaining momentum in recent years. This paper takes Heping village in Shanghai as a typical case of rural construction, and integrates the methods of statistics, field investigation, and personal participation into rural research. The village presents challenges related to multiple “high-tension lines,” literally and figuratively. In a literal sense, physical high-tension lines are located near residents' houses; in a figurative sense, high-tension lines come from power and capital, symbolizing the predominant top-down mode of rural construction and imbalance of allocated funds in the process of rural planning; and finally, psychological high-tension lines make the residents lose their sense of belonging. The local governments often regard village construction projects as opportunities to showcase their work, failing to involve villagers in the decision-making process; movements such as beautification of the countryside lack bottom-up initiatives. However, a collaborative approach between the government and residents is ideal in rural planning and construction. The theories of rural research should be renewed under the context of the changing rural world. It is worth exploring some new methods like metaphor into rural studies.