Analysis of rural transformation development in China since the turn of the new millennium
Analysis of rural transformation development in China since the turn of the new millennium
Hualou Longa, b, Jian Zouac, Jessica Pykettd, Yurui Lia, c
a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
b Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
c Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
d Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
Abstract: Since the turn of the new millennium, the Chinese central government has focused significant attention on substantially improving rural residents＊ well-being and achieving the coordinated development of urban and rural areas. This paper examines China＊s rural transformation development based on three assessing indicator systems (the rural development level, the rural transformation level, and the urban-rural coordination level), using government socioeconomic data from 2000 to 2008. Spatial and statistical analyses, supported by SPSS 13 and ArcGIS 9.2 software, show that rural China has experienced universal and intense transformative development since 2000. China＊s urban-rural coordination development declined greatly between 2000 and 2008. Our analysis shows that rural transformation development that corresponds to a certain rural development level will lead to the effective development of regional rural systems and an improved urban-rural relationship. This paper suggests that more attention needs to be paid to the powerful factors that fuel rural transformation development, especially in coastal China, to coordinate urban-rural development under the pressure of rapid industrialization and urbanization in the new century. Given the multi scale nature of regional inequalities in rural transformation development, improving rural development policies aimed at various rural transformation development types might be the most effective way to shape a more coordinated urban-rural development pattern in China. Long Hualou, Zou Jian, Pykett J., Li Yurui. Analysis of rural transformation development in China since the turn of the new millennium.
Applied Geography, 2011, 31(3): 1094-1105
