Reconstruction of Rural Cultural Space and Planning Base on the Perspective of “Social-Spatial” Theory: A Case Study in Zhuma Township, Zhejiang Province

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the perspective of the “socio-spatial” relationship, to construct a theoretical analysis framework for the reconstruction of rural cultural space, and to explore effective strategies for the reconstruction of cultural space in the context of rural revitalization. Taking Zhuma Town as a case study, this study applies qualitative research methods, combining inductive synthesis, interpretive analysis, and literature review to analyze in depth the phenomenon of the revival of its camellia culture and the reconstruction of cultural space. It is found that the transformation of vernacular culture is the fundamental motive for the reconstruction of rural cultural space, which is embodied in Zhuma Town, as the camellia culture has gone through different stages of development, which promotes the transformation of cultural space from traditional to modern, and from single-function to composite function. On this basis, the design strategies of “landscape inheritance and functional regeneration”, “connotation remodeling and cultural value-added”, and “role transformation and coordination and cooperation” are proposed. The research results provide theoretical references and practical guidance for the reconstruction of contemporary rural cultural space, help promote the construction of high-quality rural habitat, enrich the knowledge system of rural cultural space research in interdisciplinary background, and are of great significance in awakening the cultural self-consciousness of the vernacular society and promoting the reconstruction of rural cultural values.

1. Introduction

1.1. Research Background

Today, rural development has become a global focus. As a major agricultural country, China’s sustainable development of rural areas is critical to its overall prosperity [1,2,3]. In China, Camellia oleifera is a unique woody edible oil tree species. It has a history of cultivation and utilization spanning more than 2300 years. It is known as one of the world’s four largest wood oil plants, together with olive oil, oil palm, and coconut. In recent years, Zhejiang Province has given significant importance to the development of the Camellia oleifera industry, including the cultivation of Camellia oleifera to ensure the supply of grain and oil. Among other policies, it has put out the “Notice on the Implementation Opinions on the Scientific Utilization of Forest Land Resources to Promote the High-Quality Development of Woody Oils and Under forest Economy, Zhejiang Province Camellia Production and Supply Implementation Plan (2021–2025)”, and “Implementation Opinions on Enhancing Oil Supply Guarantee Capabilities and Promoting High-Quality Development of the Industry”. This provides a policy guarantee for land, seedlings, funds, technology, and other elements needed to develop Camellia oleifera cultivation.

As one of the more economically developed regions in China, Zhejiang Province has made remarkable achievements in rural development, especially in industry, but it also faces a series of challenges. Among them, the reconstruction and sustainable planning of rural public cultural spaces have become key links in promoting rural revitalization. China’s rural areas have gone through changes over time and have been affected by political, economic, social, and other factors in different periods, forming a unique local culture. In the past, the large gap between urban and rural areas caused industrial and commercial capital, social groups, and foreign tourists to often look at local culture with a “disciplinary” attitude, leading to the gradual disappearance of its uniqueness. In addition, with the modernization and transformation of rural areas, misunderstandings such as comprehensive replacement, superficial transformation, and sameness have appeared in rural areas [4]. While rural Zhejiang Province’s economy is rapidly growing, it is also experiencing profound social changes. On the one hand, the process of industrialization and urbanization has attracted many rural laborers to move to cities, resulting in changes in the rural population structure and the difficulty of inheriting rural traditional culture. On the other hand, the rise in rural tourism and the development of emerging industries have brought new opportunities to rural areas, but they have also put forward higher requirements on the demand and quality of public cultural space.

These phenomena have shaken the foundation of rural existence, making villagers lack cultural self-confidence, and are also a huge blow to the sustainable development of rural areas. With the deepening of the rural revitalization strategy, people have realized that local culture is the soul of rural construction and the foundation for maintaining rural survival. How to translate local culture through the form of space and reconstruct contemporary rural public cultural space is important content that needs urgent research. This paper firstly constructs a theoretical framework for understanding rural cultural space based on the classical theory of spatial production. Then, it explains the process of the cultural transformation of camellia in Zhuma Township and the phenomenon of cultural space remodeling brought about by it. Next, the interactive mechanism between rural cultural transformation and the remodeling of rural cultural space is demonstrated. Finally, it proposes design strategies for the remodeling of rural cultural space. The objective of this study is to construct a theoretical framework for the reconstruction of rural cultural space under the perspective of the “society-space” relationship, explore the interaction mechanism between rural cultural transformation and spatial remodeling, and propose feasible design strategies to help create a high-quality rural habitat. The research questions include how to build a theoretical framework for the reconstruction of rural cultural space based on the theory of “society-space”; how the transformation of camellia culture in Zhuma Township triggers the reconstruction of cultural space; what are the interaction mechanisms and key influencing factors between the two; and what design strategies can be put forward to promote the inheritance and innovation of rural culture and optimize the use of space as well as the sustainable development of rural culture.

1.2. Study Subjects: Zhuma Township

This study uses Zhuma Township as a typical case study to investigate the reconstruction of rural public cultural space and sustainable planning in Zhejiang Province based on the “social-spatial” perspective. Zhuma Township is in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, China (Figure 1). Jinhua is in the eastern section of Jinqu Basin, a hilly basin area in central Zhejiang, with high terrain in the north and south and low terrain in the middle. “Surrounded by mountains on three sides and one river, with basins scattered across three rivers” is the basic feature of Jinhua’s landform. It has a subtropical monsoon climate. The average temperature in January is 5.2 °C, the average temperature in July is 29.0 °C, and the annual average temperature is 17.3 °C (

Table A1. Jinhua City meteorological data (1971 to 2000).

Month	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	Yearly
Historical highest temperature (°C)	24.3	27.4	32.6	32.9	36.4	37.5	40.5	39.3	39.6	35.3	31.3	23.8	40.5
Average high temperature (°C)	9.1	10.9	14.8	21.7	26.5	29.2	33.8	33.5	28.5	23.6	17.9	12.3	21.8
Average daily temperature (°C)	5.2	6.8	10.7	17.1	21.8	25.1	29.0	28.6	24.1	18.9	13.2	7.4	17.3
Average low temperature (°C)	2.2	3.7	7.3	13.3	18.2	21.9	25.3	24.9	20.8	15.3	9.4	3.8	13.8
Historical lowest temperature (°C)	−9.6	−8.9	−1.6	0.6	8.7	13.3	18.8	18.6	13.1	2.4	−2.7	−6.8	−9.6
Average rainfall (mm)	71.5	91.6	160.1	168.9	186.6	258.5	129.5	109.1	103.1	68.9	55.9	47.9	1451.6
Average number of precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	13.4	14.5	18.5	17.1	16.1	16.5	12.4	11.9	11.2	9.6	8.2	8.6	158.0

Data source: China Weather Website.

). The extreme maximum temperature is 41.5 °C (9 August 2013), and the extreme minimum temperature is −9.6 °C (6 January 1977). The average annual precipitation is 1451.6 mm (Appendix A). As Jinhua is in Jinqu Basin, it is one of Zhejiang’s summer high-temperature centers. From 1951 to 2013, there were 28 days with the highest daily temperature ≥ 40 °C, and the average annual number of high temperature days from 1981 to 2010 was 33.7 days (Figure A1). Jinhua has a long history of more than 2200 years since the founding of the county and a profound cultural heritage, making it a nationally famous historical and cultural city. As the center city of central and western Zhejiang, Jinhua City shows a unique development trend in terms of economy, population, and urban construction. By the end of 2023, the resident population reached 7.163 million and the urbanization rate was 70.4%, forming a certain scale of urban population agglomeration. In terms of economic development, Jinhua is one of the regions in Zhejiang with great vitality and development potential, ranking 51st among China’s top 100 cities in 2023. In 2023, the city’s GDP was CNY 601.127 billion, a year-on-year growth of 6.8%, with a per capita GDP of CNY 84,133. Since Zhuma Township is located at the foot of the northern mountains of Jinhua Basin, the mountains can block the cold air from the south in winter, and the temperature there is warmer than in the plains. The warm climate provides favorable conditions for the growth and cultivation of flower seedlings, allowing camellia to thrive. Therefore, gradually, camellia became the local pillar industry.

Therefore, Zhuma Township is the “Hometown of Camellia in China”, awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture. Looking back at history, there are records of cultivating potted camellias in the Southern Song Dynasty (A.D.1127–A.D.1279) [5]. It has an 800-year history of camellia cultivation and a 200-year history of camellia management. It has eight administrative villages under its jurisdiction: Xiangli Village, Jiangya Village, Sanxian Village, Qingmeili Village, Zhumaguan Village, Lianmin Village, Fangxiadian Village, and Xiazhangjia Village. The township has developed external transportation and covers an area of 23.6 square kilometers, with a total flower seedling planting area of 7.33 square kilometers, including a contiguous camellia production base of 1.87 square kilometers. There are more than 4300 people engaged in camellia cultivation and sales, accounting for more than one-third of the township’s population. In 1983, Zhuma Township began to plant camellia in batches, and the camellia industry gradually upgraded from local traditional agriculture to a local specialty industry. After nearly 40 years of cultivation and development, the camellia industry has become an important way for local people to increase their income and become rich. In the 1980s, when the camellia industry was just beginning to develop, Xiazhangjia Village became the first village in the township to try to grow camellia to get rich. Xiazhangjia Village also established the country’s first village-level camellia association, which enabled 96% of the villagers to participate in and engage in the camellia industry, contributing to common prosperity. So far, it has become the largest camellia planting and sales base in the country.

In recent years, the local area has continued to promote the transformation and upgrading of the camellia industry, improving its quality and increasing its efficiency. Through the implementation of various targeted training courses, the local area has fostered the growth of farmers’ income and improved agricultural efficiency. Additionally, it has explored methods to enhance the value of camellia, including the promotion of small-scale and soilless planting technologies, as well as delving deeply into the complex camellia processing industry chain. Therefore, local governments, industrial and commercial capital, and planning and construction units focus on industrial cultivation and infrastructure construction, ignoring the inheritance and innovation of local culture. Rural construction is limited by the architectural planning method, which focuses too much on the static material form and ignores the cultural connotation carried by the space. In addition, the role of the villagers is missing most of the time in rural construction, which makes it difficult for the users to integrate into the new built environment. The above practical problems show that Zhuma Township has neglected the creation of a cultural soft environment in the process of supporting camellia specialty industries. Any built environment in the countryside contains local people’s local identity for their hometown, and the local identity of many people constitutes local culture [6]. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to revive camellia culture as a “new local culture” in the context of rural revitalization and make it an endogenous driving force for the construction of rural public cultural spaces.

2. Literature Review

2.1. The Origin and Development of “Social-Spatial” Relationship Theory

The social–spatial relationship theory has received widespread attention in many disciplines and is of great significance for understanding the interaction between human society and space. People widely regard Henri Lefebvre’s work as one of the important origins of the theory of the social–spatial relationship [7]. He emphasized that space is not just a container for material things but a product and embodiment of social relations. Lefebvre believed that space has social attributes, and then created the theory of space production and divided space production into three levels: spatial practice, representations of space, and space of representations [7]. “Spatial practice” refers to people’s perception of material space in daily life, including the current built environment and the diachronic process evolution. “Representations of space” is a conceptualized space, a process in which the government and related practitioners shape and influence spatial form and organization by controlling spatial elements such as land and buildings, thereby promoting spatial reconstruction. “Space of representations” refers to the social expressions of people’s daily lives based on specific material spaces [8]. The abstract space of logic and formality, which acts on the material space of entity attributes, is then fed back by people in the form of daily life, constituting the classic “ternary dialectic” theoretical framework of space production theory (Figure 2). The emergence of space production theory has made “space is society” a consensus among academic circles, thus unifying the “material field, spiritual field and social field” [9]. As a social product, space is not only a means of social behavior and social relations, but also the result of social behavior and social relations [10].

Over time, the theory of “social-spatial” relations has continued to develop and enrich. Other scholars have further expanded and deepened this theory. Scholars such as David Harvey [12] and Halfacree [11] inherited and further expanded Lefebvre’s interpretation of social space, believing that the core of “social-space” theoretical research is to analyze the relationship between spatial form and social process, and that the social process is the internal mechanism of spatial form. In fact, scholar David Harvey is more concerned about spatial production and social inequality under the capitalist economic system [12]. He believes that capitalism achieves capital accumulation and profit maximization by shaping and controlling space, which leads to social space differentiation and uneven development. Manuel Castells, a scholar, investigated the reconstruction of social space from the perspective of network society [13]. He pointed out that the development of information technology has changed people’s social relations and spatial organization methods, forming a new form of social space. Furthermore, Edward Soja, a scholar, has made significant contributions to this theory [10]. He emphasized the social construction of space, paying attention to social justice and power relations in urban spaces. In terms of research methods, scholars have adopted a variety of approaches to study the “society-space” relationship. Scholars use qualitative research methods like case studies, participant observation, and in-depth interviews to gain a deeper understanding of complex phenomena and people’s subjective experiences in a specific social space [14]. Quantitative research methods such as spatial statistical analysis and GIS technology help analyze large-scale data and reveal spatial patterns and relationships [15]. Furthermore, the value of interdisciplinary research methods is growing, as they integrate theories and methods from various disciplines like sociology, geography, urban planning, and anthropology, enabling a more comprehensive exploration of the “society-space” relationship.

2.2. Rural Public Cultural Space in “Social-Spatial” Relationship Theory

Lefebvre proposed the concept of “cultural space” in “the production of space” [7], which refers to physical spatial places with cultural significance or nature. The concept of “cultural space” was also proposed at the International Expert Consultation on the Protection of Civic Cultural Space held in Marrakech in 1997 [16,17]. In October 1998, UNESCO used the technical term “cultural space and cultural expression” when protecting intangible cultural heritage. In 2001, it defined “cultural space” as “an area where folk or traditional cultural activities are concentrated, or a time chosen for a specific, regular cultural event”. Simultaneously, it alludes to the distinct natural and cultural surroundings that traditional culture inextricably links with, from its inception to its progression. This environment is a cultural space. For instance, Dong is an ethnic minority in China, and Dong Grand Song is one of the most important forms of traditional Dong music, which is usually sung a cappella by a number of people in a choir, and the ancient building where the Dong ethnic group sings their famous song serves as a specific cultural space. For the custom of dragon boat racing, the river in a specific area and at a specific time is a specific cultural space. In addition, in general cultural heritage research, cultural space is also used as a special concept to express heritage inheritance space [18]; that is, it can be used in the specified spatial scope, structure, environment, change, protection, and other aspects of any type of heritage. In 2005, the General Office of the State Council of China issued “Interim Measures for the Application and Evaluation of National Intangible Cultural Heritage Masterpieces” as an annex to “Opinions on Strengthening the Protection of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage” [19]. Among them, Article 3 of the Classification and Definition of Intangible Cultural Heritage clearly lists the sixth category, “cultural space related to the above-mentioned forms of expression”, in addition to the five categories in the United Nations Convention. Article 3 of the Classification and Definition of Intangible Cultural Heritage regards “cultural space” as a basic category of intangible cultural heritage, defining it as a place that regularly hosts traditional cultural activities or displays traditional cultural forms of expression in a concentrated manner, exhibiting both spatial and temporal characteristics. In layman’s terms, it is a place or time that is recognized by everyone and holds cultural activities on a regular basis [20].

Earlier related research in foreign countries started from the theoretical study of public space, focusing on the theory of “public sphere” put forward by Hannah Arendt and Jürgen Habermas, and in the 1960s, scholars such as Mumford extended the concept of “public space” from philosophy and politics to geography, urban planning, and other fields. In the 1960s, Mumford and other scholars extended the concept of public space from philosophy and politics to geography and urban planning, etc. Since the 1970s, there has been a “spatial turn” in the humanities and a “cultural turn” in economic geography. In recent years, foreign scholars’ studies related to rural public space have focused on the following three aspects. Firstly, focusing on various types of cultural places in the countryside, the attributes of public, semi-public, and private spaces are analyzed. In-depth studies by scholars such as Pradinie reveal that in rural environments, most public and semi-public spaces show a trend of gradual shift from “community ownership” to privatization [21] and that various social tensions and conflicts also exist in public spaces under this tendency. Mantey, on the other hand, takes a different approach by qualitatively assessing the publicness of recreational spaces and cultural institutions (such as churches and train stations, which are typically congregational) in terms of their diversity and accessibility [22]. Secondly, we take the rural public cultural space as a platform for villagers’ cultural recreation and leisure exchanges and study the impacts of its physical representations and intrinsic characteristics on the community system. Markevych et al. analyzed the leisure activities of young people in rural areas of Germany with the help of objective data, and the results show that neighborhood characteristics, such as neighborhood green spaces and sports facilities, have a crucial influence on young people’s leisure activities [23]. Shores et al. used the SOPARC methodology to investigate the differences between urban and rural parks, concluding that people visit rural community parks more frequently than urban parks, but that recreation in the countryside is not only more homogenous, but also less intense [24]. Finally, we study the issues related to planning and developing village public cultural spaces. With the accelerating process of rural social transformation, villagers’ expectations for the quality of rural public cultural spaces are also rising. In the field of rural public cultural space research, scholars not only focus on the site planning and spatial design of rural public cultural facilities, but also explore the rationality of their layout by building a quality evaluation system [25]. Jaszczak et al. suggest that in the planning and layout of public cultural spaces in villages, it is necessary to actively build diversified public cultural programs based on the historical and cultural heritage of villages, their unique regional features, and the various types of resources that can be utilized [26]. Liam Leonard, in his study of public space in the Irish countryside, emphasized that in the planning process, the villagers’ ideas should be fully respected and closely integrated with the characteristic local landscape of the site. Do not privatize the public space simply for the purpose of maximizing economic benefits; only in this way can the villagers maximally satisfy their needs in daily life and emotional communication [27].

Based on the public connotation and participants of cultural space, scholars proposed the concept of rural public cultural space. Scholar Chen Bo believes that rural public cultural space is a place and carrier for rural residents to participate in cultural life [16,28]. It has both geographical and social significance, as well as a public spirit and sense of belonging. The scholars summarize the specific content of rural public cultural space, which encompasses daily cultural life, traditional cultural activities, and government-sponsored cultural welfare. In addition, many scholars have summarized the characteristics of rural public cultural space, namely transitionality and fragmentation [29,30]. Scholar Ye Jingzhong analyzed that the one-sided myth of development discourse is primarily responsible for the decline of rural public cultural space [31]. In response to this situation, scholar He Xuefeng proposed the view that the current rural problems are mainly cultural construction [32]. In rural areas of China, cultural space is an important part of local culture and the main spatial carrier for interpersonal communication and cultural inheritance in rural areas [33]. Rebuilding rural cultural space has emerged as the spiritual center and basis for the ongoing and innovative growth of rural society, serving as a crucial element and domain that mirrors both the material and spiritual lives of rural inhabitants. The reconstruction of rural cultural space should be grounded in the regional characteristics of the countryside, considering basic cultural elements such as geography and climate, folk customs and beliefs, lifestyle, and cultural concepts. It should also reflect the suitability of the living environment, the evident differences in cultural characteristics between villages, and the intricate interplay between production and life. It has both spatial attributes in geography and architectural planning disciplines and a sense of belonging in sociology [28]. Rural public cultural space places more emphasis on publicity and sharing [34]; it is a representation and phenomenon of the common culture owned by rural groups [35] in which the material space is the representation and the social process is the phenomenon. Therefore, it can be considered that rural public cultural space is a “socio-spatial entity” [36]. Through the introduction of the above theory, the rural public cultural space is placed in a more complete three-dimensional coordinate system, and the fundamental motivation, internal mechanism, and representational results of the reconstruction of the public cultural space currently are pointed out (Figure 3). The transformation of rural culture is the fundamental motivation for the reconstruction of rural public cultural space [37]. The “social-spatial” theory can help identify the social processes behind complex phenomena. The result is to achieve the material reshaping of rural cultural space.

2.3. Connection Between Local Culture and Rural Cultural Space

Local culture covers not only material and non-material cultural elements, but also production and living styles, family clan systems, local customs, etc. These cultural forms have had a profound impact on the functions and forms of rural cultural spaces. Since 2006, the “Document No. 1” issued by the State Council of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has proposed to promote the construction of cultural undertakings in villages and to increase investment in rural cultural development. However, while the economy of China’s villages has grown considerably since the reform and development of the countryside, cultural construction has lagged behind. With the gradual loss of local culture and the collapse of traditional etiquette, followed by the decline of ancestral halls and the lack of activity in the fields, and the decline of the original public cultural space in the countryside, nostalgia is nowhere to be found [38]. In addition, the lack of cultural construction in the countryside has resulted in very limited public cultural resources, and the cultural space in the countryside is therefore in a single form and limited in scale, making it difficult to meet the cultural needs of the villagers and leading to a lack of spiritual culture in the countryside. At present, rural cultural transformation driving rural cultural space reconstruction has realized some local practices in China [39,40,41], but the current research still lacks scientific understanding of regularity.

It has been pointed out in the literature that the cultural consciousness of village society influences village spatial practice and people’s perception of space. The theoretical framework of this study is based on the theory of “society-space”, and its three dimensions of spatial practice, representation, and represented space are closely connected with the cultural consciousness of rural society, where villagers’ cultural consciousness influences spatial practice, spatial representation guides the development of cultural space, and represented space reflects the change in cultural consciousness. At the same time, the transformation of vernacular culture in the theoretical framework promotes the reconstruction of rural cultural space, which fits the viewpoint of using cultural space to promote industrial integration to revitalize rural culture in the literature, and provides theoretical support for the revitalization of rural culture.

2.4. Research Gaps and Purpose

The reconstruction and sustainable planning of rural public cultural spaces are important components of achieving sustainable rural development. The “socio-spatial” perspective provides a unique theoretical framework for understanding and studying rural development. It emphasizes the interaction and mutual shaping between social relations and spatial forms. Social factors like social structure, cultural traditions, and economic activities closely intertwine with spatial elements like land use, building layout, and infrastructure in rural environments. This interrelationship has a profound impact on the formation, evolution, and development of rural public cultural space. Existing studies mainly focus on the connotation and characteristics of rural cultural space, the current situation and dilemmas, and the relationship with rural revitalization, but the reconstruction of rural public cultural space has not been given enough attention [42]. This paper takes Zhuma Township as a specific case, introduces theoretical perspective of the “social-spatial” relationship, reveals the connection between local culture and rural cultural space, and explores the dynamic mechanism of the reconstruction of rural public cultural space to provide effective theoretical reference and practical guidance for the construction of contemporary rural public cultural space.

3. Research Methods and Theoretical Analysis Framework Construction

3.1. Research Methods

3.1.1. Qualitative Research Methodology

Due to the highly social attributes of the rural public cultural space system, this study is more suitable for a qualitative research approach. Qualitative research has a greater advantage in many aspects of the countryside, transformation of vernacular culture, and remodeling of public cultural space involved in this study. Specifically, this study will adopt qualitative research methods such as an inductive summary, interpretive analysis, and literature study to sort out the impact of vernacular culture on the construction of the countryside, as well as how to construct a cognitive framework and a strategy system from a “socio-spatial” perspective. Summarization is the method of observing, analyzing, and organizing from a large number of individual examples or specific phenomena so as to outline general principles, principles, or conclusions. Interpretive analysis focuses on in-depth explanations of the inner meaning, reasons, mechanisms, etc., of the research object. In the study of rural space, when faced with a certain spatial pattern, cultural phenomenon or socio-economic activity in the countryside, it is not just a simple description, but an in-depth excavation of the underlying reasons. This paper collects a large amount of the related literature and theoretical works, and summarizes and classifies them in order to analyze the current situation of the research on rural public cultural space and to sort out the research results of spatial sociology, which will serve as the theoretical basis for the research.

3.1.2. Cross-Disciplinary Analysis

The rural area itself is a complex system, and the use of multidisciplinary research methods is irreplaceable in the study of rural space. A single disciplinary perspective often has limitations, and it is difficult to touch the whole picture of the complex system of the countryside. Therefore, this study adopts a multidisciplinary research method, combining theoretical knowledge from art, architecture, folklore, geography, and other related disciplines to construct a theoretical analysis framework for the reconstruction of rural cultural space and to explore effective strategies for the reconstruction of cultural space in the context of rural revitalization by taking the interactive mechanism of rural cultural transformation and the reconstruction of rural cultural space as a point of reflection. It also considers the use of a variety of scientific research tools and methods to achieve the richness and scientificity of the research means. This research method enriches the theoretical system of rural public cultural space.

3.1.3. Field Research Method

In order to understand the protection and development of rural public cultural spaces, this study adopts the fieldwork method and selects representative villages as research samples. In the course of the study, key elements such as local customs, demographic characteristics, historical development, and natural geography will be explored in detail. The acquisition of such basic information provides a solid foundation for the subsequent in-depth analysis of the evolutionary characteristics and existing problems of rural public cultural spaces. Through the process of local cultural transformation, the far-reaching implications for the reshaping of public cultural spaces are explored in depth. Cultural transformation is a complex and dynamic process involving changes in social concepts, value systems, lifestyles, and other aspects that are specifically manifested in the layout, functions, and frequency of use of rural public cultural spaces. Meanwhile, at the same time, typical objects were selected for “participatory observation”, which comprehensively observed and deeply analyzed the problems faced in the protection and development of public cultural space in Zhuma Township in order to fully understand and comprehend the object of study.

3.1.4. Case Study

This study takes Zhuma Township as the case study object. In the process of participatory observation, the research team went deep into Zhuma Township to observe the local cultural space form, the daily activities of villagers, and the development of industries, etc., so as to experience and feel the actual situation of the rural cultural space, and obtain rich first-hand information. We also had in-depth exchanges with local villagers, flower farmers, government staff, and related industry practitioners. The interviews with the villagers helped to understand their knowledge of camellia culture, its inheritance, and their views on the changes in the rural cultural space; the communication with the government staff and industry practitioners helped to grasp the formulation and implementation of the local industrial policies, the industrial development planning, and the ideas and initiatives for the construction of the cultural space. These interviews provide rich information for in-depth analyses of camellia cultural transformation and cultural space remodeling in Zhuma Township.

In the debate on culture, space, society, and tradition, this study upholds the philosophical positions of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. On the one hand, it is recognized that culture, space, society, and tradition are all formed and evolved in the process of historical development and that they are interconnected and mutually influential. For example, as an important carrier of vernacular culture, the formation and development of rural cultural space is affected by social change, industrial development, and other factors, and at the same time, it reacts to the rural society, carrying functions such as cultural inheritance and interpersonal communication. On the other hand, the emphasis is on starting from practice, and through the study of actual cases in Zhuma Township, the intrinsic connection and mechanism of action between these factors are analyzed in depth. By respecting the value of traditional rural culture and space and paying attention to the impact of modern social development on it, we strive to realize the organic combination of tradition and modernity in the process of reconstructing rural cultural space and to promote the sustainable development of the countryside.

3.2. Theoretical Framework Construction

The transformation of China’s vernacular culture has mainly gone through the following stages: During the traditional rural society period, which is the stage of rural society prior to the modernization process, vernacular culture is a cultural complex based on the village’s historical memory, spiritual culture, and production and life. The main types include various local characteristic folk activities and ethnic activities [43]. After the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening, rural culture failed to keep pace with the rapid economic development. Rural culture blindly copied urban cultural forms, resulting in the loss of local characteristics of rural culture and the emergence of standardized public cultural space construction. In the context of rural revitalization, the revitalization strategy of reviving traditional culture and developing modern culture simultaneously has made local culture more diversified and multi-functional based on inheriting the excellent genes of traditional culture and established a new local cultural identity.

However, the transformation of rural culture is accompanied by many complex reproduction phenomena. Therefore, this paper provides a necessary explanation of its internal mechanism based on the progressive “three-dimensional dialectics” theoretical framework of rural cultural space construction. The “social-space” theory involved in this paper takes the “social-spatial” dialectical relationship as the core of the method, which embodies the main line and main idea of “taking material space and social space as research objects and exploring the interaction between the two on the shaping mechanism of space”. This study mainly uses a combination of participant observation and in-depth interviews, taking the interactive mechanism of rural cultural transformation and rural public cultural space reshaping as a thinking point to explore effective means of reconstructing public cultural space in the context of rural revitalization. “Rural cultural space practice” refers to the material form of cultural space that people can perceive, including modern public buildings such as cultural auditoriums and museums, as well as ancestral halls, temples, and historical buildings that have been given new functions. “Representation of rural public cultural space” is represented by the conceptualization of cultural space formed by local governments and planning and construction units through the formulation of long- and short-term construction plans and tourism plans, or the public cultural space invested in the construction of industrial and commercial capital. “The space of rural public cultural representation” refers to social expressions such as feedback, wishes, and expectations generated by villagers and foreign visitors after using the cultural space. The interactive relationship between the three reflects that the representation of rural public cultural space conceives the space from top to bottom through external forces such as institutions, policies, and markets, and directly affects the construction of public cultural space. The space represented by rural public culture is expressed through the daily life of villagers and the experience of external visitors. They either “resist” or “accept”, thus generating endogenous forces that act on the construction of the material form of cultural space. The practice of rural public cultural space is the result of the game between the first two.

The reshaping of rural cultural space is the inevitable starting point of the reconstruction process of rural cultural space [44]. The creation of cultural space is to spatialize cultural content and make material space meaningful [45]. During the construction process of traditional Chinese villages, a belief space is usually formed based on religious attributes or national worship, which is the first material space with cultural attributes. With the deconstruction of traditional social relations and the introduction of urban culture, a series of new forms of cultural spaces have gradually emerged. The increasingly rich daily needs of villagers and the growth of foreign visitors have also caused the cultural space to transform from single function to composite function, introversion to openness to the outside world, and homogeneity to uniqueness. The intertwined cultural attributes of tradition and modernity re-empower contemporary rural public cultural space and promote the reshaping of its material space. So far, this article has integrated the causes, processes, and results involved in the reconstruction of rural public cultural space, completing the closed loop from theory to practice. We have constructed a theoretical understanding framework for rural public cultural space (Figure 4).

4. Analysis Results: Interpretation of the Zhuma Township Case Phenomenon

4.1. Transformation of Camellia Culture in Zhuma Township

As mentioned above, Zhuma Township is located at the foot of Jinhua Mountain, with four distinct seasons and abundant rainfall, which is especially suitable for flower planting. Baizhu Village in Zhuma Township is the first village to start camellia cultivation. It is also the residence of descendants of Zhuge Liang (prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty (A.D.221–A.D.263), a military strategist and statesman during the Three Kingdoms period in China. According to the “Zhuge Family Genealogy” (official name) revised in 1948 and the “Zhuge Family Genealogy” preserved in Baizhu Village, camellia has been cultivated there for more than 800 years. In addition, Yu Liangneng, a native of Wuzhou, Zhejiang (now Jinhua), wrote a poem after retiring and returning to his hometown in the first year of Shaoxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (A.D. 1190): “The glazed leaves are green and round, and the branches are tidied up in the cold. I present it to the poet, knowing his intention to let him see the Crane Head Red”. The poem describes Jinhua’s situation with the “Crane Head Red” camellia variety. This also confirms that the history of artificial potted camellia in the Jinhua area dates back over 800 years. During the Dao Guang period of the Qing Dynasty (A.D.1821–A.D.1850), “Jinhua County Chronicles Products” recorded that “the genus of flowers” included camellia. It also recorded that the flower farmers at that time were familiar with the characteristics of each camellia variety and the flower and tree modeling techniques. In addition to growing camellias and other flowers, they are also supplied to the market. “Jinhua County Chronicles” by Guang Xu of the Qing Dynasty also recorded the following: “There are dozens of varieties of camellias in Baizhu Village, Zhuma Township, such as Agate Tea, Eighteen Bachelors, Snow Tower, etc.” During the long-term cultivation of camellia, the image of camellia has been integrated into the daily life of local villagers, rural folk customs, and festival celebrations, forming a unique local traditional culture. Villagers are accustomed to planting camellia flowers in front of and behind their houses to decorate their courtyards, which means they bring vitality and wealth. There are still wood carvings in the shape of camellias on the ancient buildings of the Ming Dynasty where the Bamboo Horse remains, and the themes are mostly the famous camellias (Figure 5). Every year during the Dragon Lantern Festival from the 10th to the 15th day of the first lunar month, villagers decorate the dragon’s body with red camellias and walk through the streets holding dragon lanterns to pray for good weather and safety for people and animals in the coming year (Figure 6). This shows that the camellia culture has a long history in Zhuma.

In 1983, the Central Government Document No. 1 proposed the household responsibility system. More and more villagers planted camellias in the contracted fields. Camellia cultivation replaced traditional agriculture with considerable income and became a local specialty industry in Zhuma Township. In the late 1990s, the camellia industry developed rapidly, ranking first in the country in terms of planting scale and number of varieties. Therefore, it was awarded the title of “China’s Camellia Hometown” by the Ministry of Agriculture. However, due to excessive focus on economic benefits, the development of camellia culture has gradually declined or even temporarily stagnated. In 2003, the 16th International Camellia Conference and International Camellia Festival was held in Jinhua. As a key construction project of the Camellia Conference, the International Camellia Species Garden was built in Xiazhangjia Village [46], Zhuma Township. This is the world’s first park-style special garden that integrates original species collection, preservation, cultivation, breeding, science popularization, and publicity. It is also a comprehensive base for Chinese camellia plant research, development, utilization, protection, science, and education, as well as an experimental center for exchanges and cooperation in the international camellia community. Subsequently, camellia species gardens were established in various parts of China following suit. A total of 204 camellia species have been collected in the International Camellia Species Garden, accounting for 80% of the total number of discovered and named camellia species in the world [47,48,49,50]. The convening of international events brought a new burst of camellia culture. For example, China’s first book on the history of camellia culture, Chinese Camellia Culture, was published during this period, the camellia cultivation system was declared an important agricultural cultural heritage of China, and postage postcards with the camellia species as the theme were issued.

Since 2010, Zhuma Township has held thirteen Camellia Festivals without interruption, expanding and transforming local folk activities into an annual festival event and becoming a “new folk custom” in which all people participate. There are three types of Camellia Festival activities. One is the release of new varieties, camellia exhibitions and sales, industry summit forums, and other business activities to promote the development of the camellia industry. The second is the camellia flower exhibition, the intangible cultural heritage exhibition, the handover ceremony of “ancient camellia seeds” between new and old flower growers, and other activities that symbolize cultural inheritance. The third is cultural promotion activities such as camellia-themed calligraphy, painting and photography exhibitions, national style concerts, and the “Camellia Fairy” audition (Figure 7). Relying on the endowment of camellia resources, Zhuma Township transforms camellia cultural resources into cultural capital by extracting the connotation of rural culture and strengthening its own value creation and develops camellia characteristic culture into a solid support for sustainable rural development. The development of camellia culture from its initial state to the current planned and processual cultural display has dual meanings. On the one hand, traditional culture has been revived. Under the influence of the Camellia Festival, other folk activities have also re-entered the public’s perspective, and innovations in line with modern rural development have been carried out based on inheritance. On the other hand, fixed cultural experience activities can effectively integrate cultural resources and attract more visitors, thereby promoting the integration of rural multi-industries and adding cultural value.

4.2. Reshaping of the Public Cultural Space of Zhuma Township

In the early days, the types of public cultural space in Zhuma Township were the ancestral halls and temples, such as the main ancestral temple, Li’s ancestral temple, the white bamboo hall, and Jiangyin Temple. Ancestral hall buildings mostly adopt the wooden frame system combining lifting beams and piercing buckets, and the building materials are mainly timber, supplemented by stone and green bricks, etc. Its construction utilizes traditional mortise and tenon technology, and the wood carvings and stone carvings are superbly crafted, which embodies the integration of the family culture and the traditional construction techniques. The temple buildings, on the other hand, adopt a wooden-centered structural system, with rich roof forms and building materials such as timber, masonry and stone, etc., the construction of which employs techniques such as arches and flying eaves, and the decorative carvings are mostly related to religious themes, demonstrating a unique architectural style of religious culture. These traditional public cultural spaces are maintained by family organizations and religious beliefs. Ancestor worship is one of the ancestral hall’s core functions. People can express their respect and remembrance for their ancestors through regular sacrificial activities, passing on the family’s bloodline and spirit. It also provides a common place for family members to gather, strengthens family connection and unity, and enhances family members’ sense of identity and belonging. The ancestral hall is also responsible for handling family affairs, such as discussing major family decisions, resolving family disputes, and managing family property. In some traditional rural societies, family members will hold important ceremonies in the ancestral hall, such as weddings and naming ceremonies for newborns, to obtain the family’s blessing and recognition. At the same time, some families will also set up scholarships in the ancestral hall to encourage family children to study hard and bring honor to the family. Therefore, they are places for villagers to carry out cultural teaching and sacrificial activities, reflecting the inward and closed spiritual sustenance of the self-sufficient rural lifestyle (Figure 8). During the planned economic period, the public cultural space in Zhuma Township showed distinctive characteristics of the times, and places such as supply and marketing cooperatives emerged that reflected the attributes of collective culture (Figure 9).

Supply and marketing cooperatives have five attributes of a public space. (1) A commodity exchange center: The supply and marketing cooperative is the main place for rural residents to obtain living and production materials, and it undertakes the important functions of material distribution and sales. People trade goods here, and it is a concentration of economic activities. (2) Information exchange platform: As villagers purchase goods from the supply and marketing cooperative, they engage in the exchange of various information, including farming skills, policy dynamics, and neighborhood trivia. This creates a public space for the dissemination and exchange of information. (3) Social interaction place: In the supply and marketing cooperative, individuals gather and converse, fostering mutual understanding and connection, forming a specific social network, and bolstering the cohesion of the rural community. (4) Cultural communication space: The supply and marketing cooperative’s propaganda column disseminates government announcements, propaganda slogans, and agricultural knowledge, thereby promoting mainstream culture and practical knowledge. (5) Symbol of trust and fairness: Under the planned economic system, the supply and price of goods in the supply and marketing cooperative are relatively stable and fair, serving as a mechanism for fostering public trust and equity. After China’s Reform and Opening Up (A.D. 1978), the number of cultural activities among villagers has increased day by day, and urban culture has gradually penetrated the countryside. Government departments are also actively promoting the construction of standardized cultural supporting facilities such as cultural centers, libraries, museums, and comprehensive cultural stations. This series of measures has made modern public cultural spaces the main place for villagers’ cultural life, and their sense of identity and belonging to traditional culture has gradually weakened.

During this period, a series of planning and design efforts promoted the reconstruction of the rural public cultural space in Zhuma Township. With the help of the “Camellia Festival”, camellia culture has been widely spread, thereby promoting the integrated development of the camellia industry from a traditional agricultural industry to a multi-functional industry. A variety of new business formats have emerged, including leisure and tourism agriculture, rural e-commerce, rural cultural industry, and rural sports industry, thus giving birth to a new public cultural space. Based on the advantages of camellia industry, Fangxiadian Village of Zhuma Township has constructed the China Camellia Industry Wisdom Expo Park, which is a collection of camellia boutique gardens, big data centers, comprehensive seedling demonstration zones, scientific research colleges and universities, trading centers, garden tourism, and other functions. The idle space under the Second Ring Road Bridge will be built into the country’s largest indoor contiguous gate ball court, and a sports park will be arranged in conjunction with greenways. The Village Committee invested more than CNY 4 million to clear away the garbage, pour plastic flooring, and equip the area with sports equipment, transforming the once-idle space under the bridge into a modern sports plaza. The renovated sports field has an area of about 12,000 square meters and can accommodate 500 people. It has gate ball courts, basketball courts, five-a-side football fields, volleyball courts, table tennis courts, and even square dance equipment. This well-equipped cultural and sports square not only attracts local villagers to exercise here, but also residents of Jinhua City and villagers from surrounding towns and villages go there to visit, making it a popular check-in spot for locals. This transformation has brought new vitality to the small village. Zhumaguan Village relies on Zhuma Market Town to build a recreational and commercial district and protect and renew historical buildings such as Zhuma Old Street, the Ancient Well Pavilion, and Governor’s Mansion. Xiazhangjia Village has digitally upgraded the International Camellia Species Garden, building a virtual space through new media methods such as AI recognition and VR display, and added spaces such as a boutique camellia exhibition hall and a camellia cultivation science and education park (Figure 10, Figure 11 and Figure 12). Fangxiadian Village is built around the China Camellia Industry Wisdom Expo, which can give full play to the advantages of the industry, and the Camellia Boutique Garden and the gate ball court under the bridge can meet the diversified needs; Zhuumaguan Village is built around the historical district and the leisure commercial area, which can not only pass on the history and culture, but also promote the development of the business, and the Flower and Tree Logistic Center is conducive to the circulation of the industry; In Xiazhangjia Village, through the construction of the International Camellia Species Garden, Camellia Exhibition Hall, and Breeding Science Park, the program has obvious advantages in species protection, exhibition, and science education. Taken together, these programs are the best way to achieve the expected results in terms of synergies between industry, culture, leisure, and other aspects.

Local culture is facing the problem of how to continue, update, and reproduce, and cultural space is also in a dynamic process of evolution, replacement, and reshaping. Analyzing the reshaping of public cultural space in Zhuma Township from the phenomenon level, the following main features are found. First is the transformation from closed to open. The kinship and geographical relationships of traditional rural society are projected onto the physical space, condensing into closed and introverted places such as temples, ancestral halls, and auditoriums. Due to the participation of different subjects and various types of capital, modern elements represented by tourism development, new media, and industrial integration have emerged in the current countryside, giving the material space a broader cultural value. Second are single function changes to the composite function. Originally, rural cultural spaces mostly had a single cultural function. As the cultural life of villagers becomes increasingly enriched, the construction of cultural spaces with multiple functions has become a trend in rural construction in the future. For example, the cultural auditorium in Xiazhangjia Village also serves as a camellia museum, children’s activity center, etc. (Figure 13), and the historical building Governor’s Mansion in Zhumaguan Village also serves as a folk museum exhibition place (Figure 14).

5. Discussion: Mechanism Argumentation and Sustainable Planning

To summarize, the inheritance process of Chinese rural culture is not a simplistic copying and continuation, but a reconstruction and renewal through reproduction [51]. Zhuma Township has experienced the transmission and reconstruction of its culture from “cultural symbol” to “cultural dissemination” and then to “cultural value-added”. Its spatial form has also been correspondingly reshaped driven by the transformation of Camellia culture. The two have gone through a complex interactive process, and under the joint action of internal and external forces, the rural public space has continued to evolve until it takes on a new state.

5.1. Rural Public Cultural Space Production

Zhuma Township’s unique regional features and profound cultural heritage have laid a solid foundation for culture formation and communication. Zhuma Township fully displays the cultural connotation by creating a tangible material environment and a perceptible cultural event venue. The village’s road pattern is like a vein, connecting the bits and pieces of life; the architectural environment carries the memory of the years and witnesses the changes in generations; and the landscape nodes are like pearls, embellishing this land full of vitality. They are all important carriers of local culture, silently telling the story of Zhuma Township. Different entities, such as villagers, the government, industrial and commercial capital, and foreign tourists, have intervened with the development of the times. This process gradually transformed the original infrastructure, architectural forms, functions, and other cultural spaces. After the large-scale cultivation of Camellia oleifera became a characteristic industry, this transformation became more significant. In order to adapt to the needs of modern civilization and the inheritance and development of local culture, necessary modernization and market-oriented transformation are imperative [48]. On one hand, the meticulous renovation of building facades or interior decorations aligns with the enhancement of infrastructure and the pursuit of contemporary aesthetics. This allows the village to retain its traditional charm while radiating new vitality and charm. On the other hand, there is a focus on expanding multi-functions, particularly in the promotion and operation of the oil tea industry. By creating exhibition halls, experience halls, and other places, it not only enhances the influence of the industry but also provides tourists with a richer experience.

However, in this series of developments and transformations, the importance of sustainable planning and design is self-evident. We can only ensure the preservation of the original ecological balance and cultural characteristics during the transformation process by implementing scientific and reasonable sustainable planning. For instance, when renovating roads, it is crucial to fully integrate them with the surrounding natural environment to prevent large-scale earthwork projects, and when renovating buildings, it is important to use environmentally friendly materials to minimize environmental pollution. At the same time, sustainable planning can balance the relationship between economic development and cultural protection, allowing Zhuma Township to retain its unique nostalgia while realizing industrial modernization and marketization. By rationally planning the oil tea planting area, we can increase production and protect soil and water resources. When promoting and operating the oil tea industry, we should focus on combining it with local traditional cultural activities to form a distinctive cultural brand, attract more tourists, and promote sustainable economic growth.

5.2. Representation of Rural Public Cultural Space

In Zhuma Township of Jinhua City, the representation of rural cultural space is not a simple, concrete existence but an abstract rural concept used for external publicity. Zhuma Township mainly carries out the reproduction of cultural space through “planning of festivals and activities” and “reshaping of material space”. With the support of the government and industrial and commercial capital, Zhuma Township has used the unique cultural resources of camellia to create the core attraction of the “Camellia Festival”. The representation of cultural space currently includes multiple connotations such as strengthening industrial influence, activating cultural resources, and satisfying tourists’ imagination, and plays a role in guiding the production of rural public space. In the reshaping of physical space, the creation of spaces such as the International Camellia Species Garden, Camellia Industry Smart Expo Park, and Camellia Boutique Garden “uses cultural imagination, symbolism, metaphor and other techniques and methods to combine and construct cultural codes in the space” [52]. This construction method gives the space a representation process with social and historical significance.

According to social space theory, the reproduction of Zhuma Township’s cultural space is not only a material level change, but also a reconstruction of social relations and cultural significance. The production of space is not isolated but intertwined with multiple factors such as society, economy, and culture. Combined with the theory of space production, Zhuma Township should fully consider the use value, exchange value, and symbolic value of space when shaping its cultural space. For example, the planning of the Camellia Festival should not only meet the entertainment needs of tourists, but also bring economic benefits to the local area and become a cultural symbol of Zhuma Township. In this process, the importance of sustainable planning and design has become increasingly prominent. Sustainable planning and design can ensure that Zhuma Township makes rational use of resources and protects the ecological environment during its development, so that the reproduction of cultural space is sustainable and stable. For instance, Zhuma Township can employ scientific land use planning during park construction to prevent overdevelopment and safeguard the local ecological balance and biodiversity. Festival organizers should prioritize the sustainability of activities and minimize the waste of disposable resources. At the same time, sustainable planning and design can better balance the interests of all parties, allowing local residents to fully participate in the creation of cultural space, share the fruits of development, and enhance their sense of belonging and identity. In short, only by adhering to sustainable planning and design can Zhuma Township achieve a win-win situation in the economy, society, and environment in the reproduction of cultural space and lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of the countryside.

5.3. Space of Representation in Rural Public Culture

The space of representation of rural public culture includes the understanding and responses of different experiences to rural public culture. For hundreds of years, both new and old flower farmers have mostly passed down the exquisite cultivation techniques accumulated from artificial camellia cultivation through hands-on teaching or word of mouth. The villagers who grew up there gradually realized that camellia has become a unique cultural symbol of Bamboo Horse and thus built cultural confidence. Culture’s output is like a powerful engine, bringing together a variety of social and economic activities while strongly promoting the vigorous development of the tertiary industry and the process of industrial integration. On the one hand, the dual efforts of cultural identity and cultural display have successfully broken the inherent development pattern of rural culture closure, greatly enriched the social elements of the countryside, and provided a continuous source of power for its development. For instance, the local tourism industry thrives as it attracts an increasing number of tourists. On the other hand, in specific areas such as tourism management and oil tea sales, villagers’ social relations have become more diversified and complex, thus creating a new social network.

According to social space theory, the evolution of Zhuma Township’s rural public cultural representation space reflects the interaction between social relations and spatial structure. The change in space is not only a change in physical form, but also a reshaping of social relations and cultural meanings. Combined with the theory of spatial production, Zhuma Township needs to pay attention to the value creation and distribution of space in the process of cultural production and dissemination. For example, when developing tourism, it is necessary to rationally plan the layout of tourist facilities to ensure that they can meet the needs of tourists and protect the interests of local residents. Similarly, in this development process, the importance of sustainable planning and design has become increasingly prominent. Sustainable planning and design can ensure that Zhuma Township rationally allocates resources and protects the ecological environment and traditional culture in the process of promoting cultural output and industrial integration. For instance, Zhuma Township conducts scientific assessments of tourist carrying capacity to safeguard the local ecology, and when constructing new industrial facilities, they prioritize harmony with the rural landscape and the preservation of historical and cultural charm. At the same time, sustainable planning and design can promote fair development so that all villagers can benefit from development and avoid the problem of excessive gaps between the rich and the poor and intensified social contradictions.

In summary, driven by cultural transformation, rural cultural spatial practices present a modernized material entity; in terms of spatial representation, representative cultural display activities are created; and in terms of the space of representation, rich social elements are reflected. This process is affected by a variety of factors, resulting in extrapolated endogenous driving forces. First is top-down policy orientation. The “Implementation Opinions on the High-Quality Development of the Camellia Industry in Wucheng District” issued in 2023 clearly proposes implementing the camellia cultural brand creation project and promotes the construction of rural public cultural space relying on cultural creative transformation and innovative development. Second is new local cultural identity. The “Camellia Festival” has gradually expanded and transformed camellia culture from local traditional folklore into a highly influential cultural show, and Zhuma Township has transformed camellia cultural resources into cultural capital by extracting the cultural connotations and strengthening its own value shaping, so as to make it a solid support for sustainable development of the countryside. Third is the joint role of different subjects. Under the guidance of talented people from the countryside, village flower farmers actively participate, the government and scientific research institutions actively provide assistance, and the enterprise operates in the market. Through cooperation and gaming, the parties complete the alliance and differentiation between the entities, achieving cultural transformation and spatial reshaping (Figure 15).

5.4. Design Strategies for Reconstructing Rural Public Cultural Spaces

Based on the previous analysis, this study believes that the reconstruction of rural public cultural space is a process of updating the physical environment, innovating cultural resources, and reconstructing social networks with the goal of cultural inheritance and innovation, and accordingly proposes corresponding design strategies.

5.4.1. Inheritance of Style and Regeneration of Functions

The design strategy of the physical space is mainly to combine traditional cultural elements such as architecture, landscape, sketches, venues, etc., in public cultural spaces with modern expressions. Through re-understanding, re-processing and re-creation, the traditional cultural space is updated into a modern composite space. In terms of overall layout, the overall style and style elements of the countryside should be protected, and unified planning and repair should be carried out. In the control of the overall architectural style, new buildings reflect the local architectural style through the design of external elements. For example, the building roof adopts traditional sloped roofs, multiple eaves, wind corridors, etc., and the building exterior facades are mainly based on white walls and black tiles (Figure 16). People commonly refer to the gable as the “five-color horse head wall” because it typically consists of five steps that are higher than the tiled roof, resembling a horse head. It has fire prevention and shaping functions. The auspicious meaning of words such as “three mountains and five peaks”, “the supreme ruler”, “the five elements and eight trigrams”, “a bumper harvest”, and “five sons passing the imperial examinations” are also associated with the number “five”. The most representative street style is the reconstruction of Zhuma Old Street. From the paintings of local farmer painters, we can see that the old street is equipped with barber shops, grain and oil stations, supply and marketing cooperatives, and other commercial facilities. This was once an important place that provided people with daily livelihood. Therefore, in the planning and design, the old places are restored, and various cultural elements are fully integrated to create a neighborhood with historical memory and contemporary characteristics (Figure 17). In the creation of landscape nodes, the camellia industry was combined to create an “agriculture plus” park, and the nodes were connected in series through greenways to form an ecological corridor in the countryside (Figure 18). In terms of architectural space, well-preserved historical buildings will be repaired and restored to maintain their original styles. The building’s internal functions are updated to match current needs.

5.4.2. Connotation Reshaping and Cultural Value Addition

Spiritual space needs to be carried by the actual physical environment before it can be felt by people. The design strategy surrounding the spiritual space is to reshape the cultural connotation of the original public cultural space. The academy can be reshaped into a place for experiencing and inheriting traditional culture, the ancestral hall can be reshaped into an educational base for reverence for the ancestors and the feelings of family and country, and some spaces can be flexibly reshaped into museums, exhibition halls, cultural auditoriums, etc. The camellia industry is a traditional agriculture. With the transformation and upgrading of industry and the extension and expansion of the industrial chain, new public cultural spaces have also been produced. The Camellia Innovation Industry Comprehensive Service Center is a public cultural space integrating industrial development research, cultural and creative R&D platforms, camellia new product research and development, and other innovative services. The emergence of this type of cultural space shows that the reproduction of rural cultural space continues to innovate to adapt to the development of modern villages and gives new technological and commercial value to traditional culture.

5.4.3. Role Reversal and Collaboration

The construction of rural public cultural space depends on the game relationship between multiple rural subjects [41]. The main entities involved in rural construction include the government, industrial and commercial capital, villagers, and professional designers. In the process of building modern public cultural spaces, the role of government departments should change. Instead of directly leading decision-making, they should become key leaders in managing long-term goals and coordinating the needs of all parties. The government must formulate policies and regulations that are conducive to the development of rural public cultural spaces at a macro level, provide a stable policy environment, and provide necessary resource support for their construction. It is important to tailor the involvement of industrial and commercial capital to the unique circumstances of rural society and integrate it into the long-term planning of rural industrial development. Industrial and commercial capital can bring funds and advanced management experience to the construction of rural public cultural space, but it must follow the inherent laws of rural development and cannot unilaterally pursue short-term economic benefits and destroy the ecology and culture of the countryside. However, the lack of participation by villagers often leads to the disconnection of public cultural space from daily life and its isolation. We should give full attention to the needs and wishes of the villagers, as they are the main body of the village. Therefore, professional designers should fully consider the demands and expressions of most villagers in construction activities and avoid over-emphasizing the wishes of capital or simply expressing themselves in design. By no means is rural public cultural space merely a symbol for external display, but rather an integral part that closely connects and relates to rural life. Rural public cultural space is not a symbol for external display. Only with the cooperation of all parties can public cultural space be effectively embedded in rural daily life situations and become a carrier that accommodates social life, carries cultural dissemination, and continues local culture.

6. Conclusions

Taking Zhuma Township as an example, the article applies the theory of the “society-space” relationship to the study of rural cultural space reconstruction. By elaborating the transformation of camellia culture and the process of cultural space remodeling in Zhuma Township, the article makes abstract theories tangible, such as analyzing the evolution of Zhuma Township from the traditional cultural space to a new type of cultural space under the impetus of the “Camellia Festival”, which strongly supports the practical application value of the theoretical framework and enhances the effectiveness of the study. It follows the logic of “Constructing Theory-Interpreting Phenomenon-Arguing Mechanism-Discussing Strategy”. First, the theoretical framework is constructed to clarify the motivation, process, and result of rural cultural space reconstruction; then the phenomenon is interpreted by taking Zhuma Township as an example; then the interaction mechanism is argued; and finally the design strategy is put forward, which is interlinked and clearly organized, enhancing the credibility and effectiveness of the study.

The opportunity for this study stems from the importance of strengthening rural public cultural spaces. Particularly in the context of rural revitalization, there is a growing need to promote cultural heritage, economic development and social cohesion in villages. The focus on camellia-related industries in these villages also creates a unique opportunity to explore how cultural spaces can be integrated with local industries. This study focuses on rural public cultural space. At the level of cultural inheritance and development, the deep excavation of rural cultural space can not only protect the historical culture and traditional customs such as family culture and religious beliefs carried by the early ancestral halls and temples in Zhumaguan Village, but also promote the generation of new cultural forms and the continuation and innovation of rural culture through the planning of modern rural public cultural space. In terms of economic promotion, based on the camellia industry, the cultural space is closely integrated with industrial development, such as Fangxiadian Village, which set up a space around the China Camellia Industry Wisdom Expo, and Zhumaguan Village, which built a logistics center for flowers and trees, etc., which can lead to the development of rural tourism and the cultural industry, increase the income of villagers, and diversify the rural economy. From the perspective of social harmony, the public cultural space in the village builds a platform for villagers to communicate socially and emotionally, which effectively enhances the contact and cohesion between villagers and improves the stability of the rural society. In addition, the planning and design of public cultural spaces in Fangxiadian Village, Zhuumaguan Village, and Xiazhangjia Village in the thesis provides a model for the synergistic development of the countryside in multiple dimensions, such as industry, culture, and leisure, helps the implementation of the strategy of rural revitalization, and also provides a valuable reference for the planning and development of other villages.

This study emphasizes the importance of the “socio-spatial” perspective in understanding and reconstructing rural cultural spaces. As China’s rural revitalization strategy advances in an orderly and effective manner, conducting in-depth research on its reconstruction process is critical. Not only can this effectively awaken the latent cultural consciousness of rural society and revitalize rural culture in the new era, but it can also actively promote the reconstruction of rural cultural values, explore and promote forgotten or neglected traditional cultures, and infuse strong spiritual power into rural development. At the same time, it also plays an immeasurable role in realizing the reshaping of rural material space, making the spatial layout of the countryside more reasonable, the facilities more complete, and the environment more beautiful. According to social space theory, Zhuma Township’s rural public cultural space is the product of the interaction between social relations and spatial practices. Space is not only a physical existence but also a carrier of social interaction, power relations, and cultural significance. The reconstruction of rural public cultural spaces reflects changes in social structure and cultural inheritance needs. Combined with the theory of spatial production, Zhuma Township needs to balance the use value, exchange value, and symbolic value of space in the production of rural public cultural space. It is necessary to meet the living needs of villagers, promote economic development, and shape a cultural image with local characteristics. We cannot overemphasize the importance of sustainable planning and design in this process. Sustainable planning and design can ensure that Zhuma Township can achieve efficient resource use, careful ecological protection, cultural inheritance, and innovation in the process of reconstructing rural public cultural space. For the reconstruction of rural public cultural space, this study makes the following suggestions: for example, in the planning of public cultural facilities, energy conservation is the top priority and resource recycling is the key; in the spatial layout, the local natural ecology and historical and cultural veins should be respected to prevent overdevelopment and destruction. Meanwhile, sustainable planning and design can promote in-depth cooperation and joint participation of all stakeholders, promote joint construction and sharing, and lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of Zhuma Town.

Admittedly, this study has certain limitations, such as a single sample of geographic area, the research method focuses on qualitative and lack of quantitative, the elements of the role of the mechanism of the analysis is not in-depth and the combination of theory and practice is not close, etc. However, it also provides the direction of the follow-up study to improve the direction and expansion of the space, and we look forward to a more in-depth and comprehensive exploration in the future. Qualitative research methods are mainly used, and quantitative analysis is lacking. In exploring the factors influencing the spatial reconstruction of rural culture and the degree of development, although qualitative analysis can provide an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon, it is difficult to accurately measure the intensity of the role of each factor and the interrelationships between them, which restricts the accuracy and scientificity of the study’s conclusions.