Urban China Research Articles

Does learning ambidexterity affect the sense of urban integration among new-generation migrant workers in China? An empirical study based on career growth and environmental dynamism

AbstractThe urban integration of new-generation migrant workers is an important part of the process of new urbanization in China, and the acquisition of a sense of urban integration is one of the necessary signs of urban integration for new-generation migrant workers. Based on ambidexterity theory, we used a multiple regression analysis to study the mechanism underlying the effects of learning ambidexterity on the sense of urban integration of new-generation migrant workers. The empirical results showed that learning ambidexterity had significant and positive effects on both sense of urban integration and career growth; career growth had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between learning ambidexterity and sense of urban integration; environmental dynamism had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between exploratory learning and career growth; and environmental dynamism had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between exploitative learning and sense of urban integration. This study responds to previous research on the ambidexterity of migrant workers and further enriches the ambidexterity theory in research on migrant workers from the perspectives of career growth and urban integration. And in contrast to earlier studies, this research introduces environmental dynamism and establishes an analysis framework for migrant worker urban integration in a dynamic environment.

Analysis of Multi-Factor Dynamic Coupling and Government Intervention Level for Urbanization in China: Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Analysis of Multi-Factor Dynamic Coupling and Government Intervention Level for Urbanization in China: Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Research on multi-camera data fusion for improving fire detection accuracy

Abstract With the rapid urbanization in China, the use of various electrical equipment and a large number of flammable materials has led to an increasing trend in the frequency of fires from year to year. In this paper, we start with data fusion to collect fire open data fragments so as to establish a fire detection dataset. A fire monitoring terminal that utilizes multi-feature fusion is created using the data fusion algorithm of the convolutional neural network to improve the main structure of the YOLOv5 fire detection model. The detection effect of the improved model is compared with other network models when combined. In this paper, it is found that the improved YOLOv5 model has better training time and steady state of training effect than the other three groups of models, and its mAP value is improved by 22.1%, 13.6% and 10.13% compared with the other three models, respectively. The average detection accuracy of the improved model for flames and smoke generated with different materials is also higher than that of the other three groups of models. At the same time, the improved model has stronger network classification and checking abilities, and is more accurate in recognizing whether a fire is occurring in the image. In this paper, by improving the YOLOv5 model, it is effectively applied to the fire detection work, realizing the dynamic analysis of real-time detection of flame and smoke and providing an effective detection model for fire monitoring.

Willingness-to-pay for urban green space: A meta-analysis of surveys across China

Sustainable ecosystem services are increasingly recognized amid rapid regional transformation. While the rate of urbanization in China continues to rise, there is an urgent need to evaluate public preferences and their associated economic values concerning urban green space (UGS). The aim of this study was to calculate the overall willingness-to-pay (WTP) for UGS across China. Literature search was performed systematically on Scopus, Scilit, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases on 11 November 2023. Studies reporting the WTP in China were included in the analysis. Quality of the included studies were appraised by using Q-SSP tool consisting of 20-item quality of survey studies in psychology. To calculate the overall willing to pay rate and WTP, a meta-analysis was performed using restricted maximum-likelihood model on raw proportions. A total of nine studies were included comprised of 9381 valid responses with high quality according to Q-SSP (score: 70–90%). Findings from the meta-analysis indicated that the rate of willing to pay for UGS was 70.8% (95%CI: 60%, 82%; p-Het<0.001, I2= 99.37%). The rate was not affected by sample size, age, gender, and education (p>0.05). Among mainland Chinese population alone, the average minimum WTP was 2.97 USD/month, and increased to 3.36 USD/month if combined with Hong Kong population. A majority of over 70% Chinese population were willing to pay for UGS. Nevertheless, high heterogeneity in the pooled estimates suggest the importance of addressing contextual variables and presence of regional disparities.

Spatialtemporal evolution characteristics of ozone in China and its response to urbanization.

Based on the background of urbanization in China, we used the dynamic spatial panel Durbin model to study the driving mechanism of ozone pollution empirically. We also analyzed the spatial distribution of ozone driving factors using the GTWR. The results show that: i) The average annual increase of ozone concentration in ambient air in China from 2015 to 2019 was 1.68μg/m3, and 8.39μg/m3 elevated the year 2019 compared with 2015. ii) The Moran's I value of ozone in ambient air was 0.027 in 2015 and 0.209 in 2019, showing the spatial distribution characteristics of "east heavy and west light" and "south low and north high". iii) Per capita GDP industrial structure, population density, land expansion, and urbanization rate have significant spillover effects on ozone concentration, and the regional spillover effect is greater than the local effect. R&D intensity and education level have a significant negative impact on ozone concentration. iv) There is a decreasing trend in the inhibitory effect of educational attainment and R&D intensity on ozone concentration, and an increasing trend in the promotional effect of population urbanization rate, land expansion, and economic development on ozone concentration. Empirical results suggest a twofold policy meaning: i) to explore the causes behind the distribution of ozone from the new perspective of urbanization, and to further the atmospheric environmental protection system and ii) to eliminate the adverse impacts of ozone pollution on nature and harmonious social development.

China's Urbanization: Impact on Oral Health in Major Cities

Urbanization in China has brought about significant changes in lifestyle, dietary habits, and healthcare access, profoundly influencing oral health trends and presenting new challenges in major cities. This paper synthesizes current literature and epidemiological data to explore the multifaceted impact of urbanization on oral health in China. Key trends include rising prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases among urban populations, linked to shifts towards high-sugar diets, inadequate oral hygiene practices, and lifestyle factors exacerbated by urban living conditions. Challenges posed by urbanization include disparities in oral health services distribution, with rural-to-urban migrants facing barriers in accessing quality dental care. This inequity underscores the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, enhanced oral health education, and policy reforms to promote equitable access to dental services and improve oral health outcomes in China's major cities.

Job Insecurity and Fertility: Evidence from Massive Lay-offs in Urban China

Job Insecurity and Fertility: Evidence from Massive Lay-offs in Urban China

:Ecological States: Politics of Science and Nature in Urbanizing China

:<i>Ecological States: Politics of Science and Nature in Urbanizing China</i>

Rethinking Enclosed Neighbourhoods: Vital Infrastructure for Design Innovation, Civic Engagement, and Biopower in Urban China

Rethinking Enclosed Neighbourhoods: Vital Infrastructure for Design Innovation, Civic Engagement, and Biopower in Urban China

Shaping gender disparity in childcare between dual-earner parents in urban China: An exploratory study of influencing factors

Gender disparity in parenting is prominent in contemporary heterosexual families. However, investigations into multi-dimensional factors shaping the disparity in China are limited, though Chinese care arrangements and practices are increasingly influential worldwide with the process of globalization. Therefore, this research uses multi-source data from the 2012 Chinese General Social Survey and the 2014–2015 China Education Panel Survey for quantitative analysis, to explore what drives urban dual-earner parents to share childcare or not. Specifically, the disparity is captured via both parents' general intentions to share paid job and unpaid care responsibilities, and concrete paternal relative time contributions to different types of child-rearing. Two major conclusions are drawn from descriptive statistics and linear regressions. Firstly, there are gendered differences in factors that shape parenting (in)equality. Secondly, there are both similarities and differences in factors of gender (in)equality among different caregiving activities. The results implicate that future childcare and family policies need to be directed towards both genders in diverse domains and be attentive to both quantitative and qualitative inequality.

Internet Use, Intergenerational Ambivalence, and Subjective Well‐Being among Chinese Urban Aging Adults: Do Living Arrangements Matter?

Rapid advancements in Internet technology have significantly narrowed the digital divide between generations, transforming the ways in which aging adults establish social networks. Concurrently, rural‐to‐urban migrations have led to a decrease in the coresidence of aging adults in China. Aging adults living with and without children may differ in their level of reliance on Internet communication, potentially influenced by the geographic distance between generations. This study examined the mediating effects of intergenerational ambivalence on the association between Internet use and subjective well‐being among Chinese urban aging adults, particularly considering their living arrangements. Representative survey data were collected from 1,339 participants aged ≥50 years (512 participants lived with their children, and 827 did not) in urban China. Internet use was positively associated with subjective well‐being, both directly and indirectly, through intergenerational ambivalence among the entire sample and those not living with their children. Policy interventions should be developed to reduce the digital divide, address intergenerational ambivalence by fostering intergenerational solidarity and affectual closeness as well as mitigating intergenerational conflicts, and improve access to the Internet, particularly for those not living with their children.

Influence of Central Obesity on Associations Between Physical Activity, Sitting Time, and Metabolic Syndrome Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Urban China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study assessed possible associations among physical activity (PA), sitting time (ST), metabolic syndrome (MetS), and the individual components thereof. We analyzed the entire study sample and subpopulations stratified by visceral fat area (VFA). We hypothesized that individuals with elevated VFA might respond differently to modifiers of metabolic health, including PA and ST. This cross-sectional study, conducted between March and May 2010, enrolled 957 adults with abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) aged 40-65 years living in the urban communities in Hangzhou, China. PA and ST were recorded using the standard International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and categorized into three levels. The ethnicity-specific cutoff for central obesity was VFA ≥ 80 cm2 on MRI according to Chinese population-based research. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between PA, ST, MetS and its components. In the total subject population, participants reporting high level of PA were at a lower risk of MetS (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.86) than those declaring low PA. In the subgroup population with VFA ≥ 80 cm2 (ie, with central obesity), moderate-to-high PA levels were associated with a lower risk of MetS (p for trend < 0.05) and a lower risk of decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations (p for trend < 0.05). In addition, ST > 3 h/day was a risk factor for both MetS (p for trend < 0.05) and hypertriglyceridemia (p for trend < 0.05) in the total subject population. While in the central obesity subgroup, ST > 3 h/day was found a stronger risk factor. Our study suggests that moderate-to-high levels of PA may have a role in prevention of MetS, and ST > 3 h/day was associated with a higher risk of MetS, particularly in individuals with central obesity.

Declining Time‐Trend in Loneliness Levels Among Migrant Children in Urban China, 2006−2019: A Cross‐Temporal Meta‐Analysis of 40 Studies Published From 2006 to 2022

Loneliness has long been a significant psychosocial problem for migrant children in urban China. In recent years, social changes and enhancements in social welfare equity have lessened the disadvantages faced by these migrant children. The current study investigated the time‐trend of loneliness levels among migrant children from 2006 to 2019. A literature search was performed within major Chinese‐ and English‐language databases, and studies that reported the means and standard deviations of Children’s Loneliness Scale (CLS) scores among Chinese migrant children were included in this cross‐temporal meta‐analysis. Weighted linear regression was conducted to examine the trend of mean CLS scores over the survey year, and Cohen’s d value was calculated to assess the magnitude of change. In total, 40 cross‐sectional studies conducted between 2006 and 2019 (published by 2022), consisting of 47 cohorts of migrant children and a total sample size of 17,090, were included. Overall, there was a significant downward trend between the survey year and mean CLS score (unstandardized coefficient [β] = −0.342, P &lt; 0.001), and Cohen’s d value of this decline from 2006 to 2019 was 0.411. Similar declining time‐trends were also observed among subgroups when broken down by sex, school type, and geographic regions (β = −0.182 to −0.589, P &lt; 0.001, d = 0.222–0.719). The loneliness levels of migrant children in urban China decreased from 2006 to 2019. Nevertheless, sustained measures and inclusive policies are still needed to mitigate the loneliness levels of Chinese migrant children.

Lifestyle for social change? Exploring framing and lifestyle politics in the Chinese zero waste movement

The politicisation of everyday life and the proliferation of lifestyle movements have far-reaching consequences on processes of social change. Based on 45 in-depth interviews and virtual ethnography of lifestyle communities, this article reveals how sustainable lifestyle is interpreted and promoted in relation to pro-environmental social change in the ‘zero waste’ movement in urban China. Building on the framing perspective in social movement studies, I use ‘participant frames’ as a heuristic device to uncover bottom-up processes of meaning-making in lifestyle movements. The results reveal that frames constructed by citizen-consumers transitioned from a political and systemic diagnosis to a cultural and communal prognosis, and ultimately centre on a ‘call to action’ that emphasises individual and private actions. The ‘dissonance’ in framing, which involves promoting depoliticised actions while being motivated by political grievances and desires for systemic change, illustrates how citizens navigate structures of opportunities and constraints in China. Through deliberate depoliticisation, lifestyle activism leans towards constructive engagement with institutional actors rather than contentious confrontation and relies on the diffusion of sustainable lifestyle among the general public as the primary tactic for change. By incorporating methodological innovation and presenting new empirical findings from a non-Western context, this article advances the ongoing discussions surrounding political consumption and lifestyle politics.

How does economic agglomeration affect carbon emissions at the county level in Liaoning China?

China's regional economic development has become a regional agglomeration model. The implementation of urbanization strategies promotes spatial concentration and catalyzes economic agglomeration. Due to the heterogeneity of economic development at various spatial scales, economic agglomeration has different environmental externalities. Peak carbon and carbon neutrality make it vital to explore these externalities in China's urbanization process, especially at smaller scales. This study uses a long time series of macro data for 42 counties in Liaoning Province and constructs a dynamic spatial panel Dubin model to assess the impact of economic agglomeration on carbon emissions, showing that agglomeration and emissions exhibit an “inverted N-shaped” curve at the county level. There is a threshold of emission increases and reductions for economic agglomeration. When economic agglomeration exceeds a threshold, it shows a significant emission reduction effect. After further decomposition of spatial effects, economic agglomeration affects carbon emissions through two channels: the direct and the indirect effect with urbanization as a mediator. There are also spillover effects of economic agglomeration on carbon intensity, meaning that economic agglomeration impacts carbon emissions in the region and surrounding areas. The results provide a reference for development guidelines and emission reduction policies at the county level, emphasizing the need to balance the economy and the environment in county regional development.

Development Trends in Digital Highway Systems and Processes under Intelligent Technology

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, the phenomenon of urban road traffic congestion is becoming increasingly serious, and the problem of road bottlenecks is becoming increasingly prominent. The operational efficiency of urban roads has encountered challenges. The rapid development of intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things has provided more possibilities and opportunities for the research of digital highways. These technologies can be applied to traffic flow monitoring, road condition prediction, intelligent traffic management, and other aspects to improve highway traffic efficiency and service quality. This article designs a digital highway system based on intelligent technology to alleviate traffic congestion and other issues. Firstly, traffic information is collected and tested through channels such as circular coil detectors and cameras. This article would integrate and store the collected data into the Redis database; Then, the data is analyzed, processed, and predicted using the Kalman filtering algorithm. It then sends the predicted information to the client, providing convenience for users to choose the best route. This article tests the performance of the system through experiments. The experiment shows that the system can make correct analysis and prediction even in high pedestrian traffic, find the fastest driving route, and effectively resist the impact of fluctuations in pedestrian traffic. In addition, the system has achieved good results in accuracy testing of analysis and prediction. In summary, the digital highway system based on intelligent technology is expected to improve traffic efficiency, enhance traffic safety, achieve intelligent travel services, promote sustainable transportation development, and also bring broad prospects for commercial innovation and market opportunities. With the continuous progress and application of intelligent technology, digital highway systems would become an important tool for future road traffic to respond to challenges and improve service quality.

Framework and Strategy for Enhancing Resilience of China's Urban Power Systems under Extreme Natural Disasters

Framework and Strategy for Enhancing Resilience of China's Urban Power Systems under Extreme Natural Disasters

New China's Urban Collective Economy Development - A Comparative Study on the Development Path of the Similar Economy in the Soviet Union

New China's Urban Collective Economy Development - A Comparative Study on the Development Path of the Similar Economy in the Soviet Union

Research on the coordinated evaluation relationship between new urbanization and green development in China

Research on the coordinated evaluation relationship between new urbanization and green development in China

Understanding the impact of cultivated land-use changes on China's grain production potential and policy implications: A perspective of non-agriculturalization, non-grainization, and marginalization

Cultivated land plays a pivotal role in ensuring national food security. The challenges of non-agriculture, non-grain production and the marginalization of cultivated land have become increasingly pronounced in the context of urbanization and industrialization in China, posing potential threats to long-term food security. This study employs a combination of remote sensing and statistical data to reveal the effects of non-agriculturalization, non-grainization, and the marginalization of cultivated land on grain production potential (GPP) at the grid scale. From 1992 to 2020, the total farmland area initially exhibited an ascending trend followed by a subsequent decline, resulting in a net decrease of approximately 0.84% in China. the northward shift in the center of gravity of cultivated land has accentuated the spatial disparity between grain production and consumption. Non-agriculturalization, non-grainization, and marginalization of cultivated land contributed 35.22%, 22.58%, and 42.20% to the GPP loss, respectively. GPP loss exhibited significant differences across the agroclimatic zones, with the combined loss in the Middle-lower Yangtze Plain and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain exceeding 60% of the national total. Cultivated land marginalization has emerged as the most impactful land-use change affecting GPP, leading to a substantial loss of approximately 11471.30 × 104 t. The affected area is predominantly concentrated in the southern region. The marginalization of cultivated land has not been effectively alleviated, and the expansion trend continues. Conservation endeavors targeting cultivated land should prioritize enhancing farmers' willingness to cultivate, curbing the extensive utilization of farmland, and mitigating the escalating trend of farmland marginalization.