Search Results (1,000)

This study interrogates the semiotic destabilization of rural cultural symbols in China’s burgeoning short video sphere, with particular focus on the discursive reconstruction of “tǔ wèi” labeling. This paper, through semantic tracing and content analysis, combined with empirical data from over 130,000 “tǔ wèi” videos on Douyin (Tik Tok), categorizes the “tǔ wèi” content into two major styles: the novelty-hunting and ugliness-seeking style and the rural original ecological style. It also compares the differences in popularity, quality, and value orientation between the two. The research finds that the semantic segmentation of the “tǔ wèi” label is rooted in clash of civilizations and the urban–rural dichotomy, as well as the promotion of the traffic logic and symbol abuse of short video platforms. This segmentation has exacerbated the stigmatization of Chinese farming culture and weakened cultural confidence. It is suggested that efforts should be made from three aspects: deep exploration of indigenous “tǔ” cultural resources, optimization of algorithm recommendation mechanisms, and reconstruction of discourse contexts, to promote the semantic return of the “tǔ wèi” label and consolidate cultural subjectivity. Full article

Backgrounds: To examine the association between stages of exercise behavior change, as defined by the transtheoretical model (TTM), and obesity progression among Chinese children and adolescents, with attention to gender and urban–rural differences. Methods: A total of 5006 Chinese children and adolescents aged 9–18 years were assessed in 2019 and followed up in 2020. Participants were categorized into five TTM stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Logistic regression models evaluated the associations between the TTM stages and obesity outcomes, including incident obesity and transitions from normal or overweight to obesity. Analyses were stratified by gender and urban–rural residence, and interaction effects were tested. Results: Compared to the maintenance stage, precontemplation (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.45–2.99) and contemplation (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.05–2.08) stages had higher obesity risk, with similar trends in follow-up incident obesity (precontemplation: OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.17–2.28; contemplation: OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.10–1.98). These associations were more pronounced among boys and rural residents. Significant interactions were observed between TTM stages, sex (p = 0.029), and residence (p = 0.005) in obesity transition. Conclusions: Exercise behavior stages are associated with obesity progression, particularly among boys and rural children. These findings underscore the importance of stage-specific interventions tailored to individual readiness for behavior change and contextual factors. Full article

To mitigate persistent urban–rural disparities and facilitate comprehensive rural development, the Chinese government institutionalized the Rural Revitalization Strategy. This national policy framework systematically addresses five critical domains of rural development: (1) industrial revitalization, (2) talent revitalization, (3) organizational capacity building, (4) cultural heritage preservation, and (5) ecological conservation. Among them, talent cultivation serves as both a fundamental objective and critical resource for the sustainable rural economic transformation. However, the existing research and practice have disproportionately emphasized industrial and ecological aspects, largely neglecting the acute talent shortage. This study bridges this gap by adopting a population mobility lens to categorize young talent types contributing to Chinese rural economic transformation and analyze their mobility trajectories and resource exchange dynamics. Drawing on an integrated theoretical framework combining Push–Pull Theory and Existence–Relatedness–Growth Theory, as well as empirical evidences from Yuan Village in Shaanxi Province, this research has four key findings. First, there are three distinct young talent categories that have emerged in Chinese rural economic transformation: urban-to-rural young talents, native young talents, and rural-to-rural young talents. It is noteworthy that the rural-to-rural young talent represents a novel flow pattern that can expand our conventional understandings of Chinese population mobility. Second, differential push–pull factors shape each category’s migration decisions, subsequently influenced by their existence needs, social relatedness, and growth requirements as outlined in ERG Theory. Third, through heterogeneous resource exchanges with villagers, committees, and communities, these talents negotiate their positions and satisfy their expectations within the rural socio-economic system. Fourth, unmet exchange expectations may precipitate talent outflow, which will further pose sustainability challenges to revitalization efforts. Additionally, the long-term impacts of the intensified social interactions between talent groups and local residents, as well as their generalizability, require further examination. Full article

Primary healthcare is vital to achieving universal health coverage, as emphasized by Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3). However, energy poverty remains a critical yet overlooked barrier to the efficiency of primary healthcare services in rural China—precisely the focus of this study. It employs panel regression models and threshold analysis methods using data from 31 Chinese provinces for the period 2014–2021, sourced from the EPSDATA data platform. Robustness checks are performed using bootstrap procedures, accompanied by detailed mechanism analyses. The empirical results demonstrate that rural energy poverty significantly reduces primary healthcare efficiency, particularly in provinces initially characterized by lower healthcare performance. The mechanism analysis identifies four critical transmission channels—off-farm employment, internet intensity, food safety, and health education—through which rural energy poverty undermines healthcare outcomes. Furthermore, threshold regressions uncover nonlinear relationships, indicating that the negative impacts of rural energy poverty intensify when household medical expenditures exceed 10.9%, the old-age dependency ratio surpasses 22.61%, and the rural energy poverty index is higher than 0.641. In theoretical terms, this study identifies rural energy poverty as a critical determinant of primary healthcare efficiency, thereby addressing an important gap in the existing literature. At the policy level, the findings emphasize the necessity for integrated measures targeting both rural energy poverty and primary healthcare inefficiencies to achieve SDG 3 and sustainably promote equitable, high-quality healthcare access in rural China. Full article

In the digital age, online teacher professional development (TPD) has become a key strategy for enhancing instructional quality and ensuring equitable access to continuous learning. This research compares and analyzes Chinese online teacher professional development (TPD) with the United States over a period of ten years, from 2014 to 2024. This study uses a mixed-methods approach based on policy documents, structured surveys, and interviews to investigate how governance regimes influence TPD outcomes for fair education. Both countries experienced a massive expansion of web-based TPD access and engagement, with participation rates over 75% and effectiveness scores over 4.3 by 2024. China focused on fast scaling by way of centralized mandates and investments in infrastructure, while the United States emphasized gradual expansion through decentralized, locally appropriate models. Most indicators had converged by the end of the period, even with these different approaches. Yet, qualitative evidence reveals persisting gaps in functional access and contextual appropriateness, especially in rural settings. Equality frameworks with attention to teacher agency, policy implementation, and digital usability must supplant weak access metrics. A hybrid paradigm presents itself as an attractive means toward building equitable and productive digital TPD environments through the symbiotic integration of China’s successful scalability and the United States’ professional autonomy. Full article

Common prosperity serves as a pivotal condition for achieving sustainable development by fostering social equity, bolstering economic resilience, and promoting environmental stewardship. Differential land revenue, as a crucial form of property based on spatial resource occupation, significantly contributes to the achievement of common prosperity, though empirical evidence of its impact is limited. This study explores the potential influence of land utilization revenue disparity on common prosperity from the perspective of urban macro differential rent (UMDR). Utilizing panel data from 280 Chinese cities spanning 2007 to 2020, we discover that UMDR and common prosperity levels exhibit strikingly similar spatiotemporal evolution. Further empirical analysis shows that UMDR significantly raises urban common prosperity levels, with a 0.217 standard unit increase in common prosperity for every 1 standard unit rise in UMDR. This boost stems from enhanced urban prosperity and the sharing of development achievements, encompassing economic growth, improved public services, enhanced ecological civilization, and more equitable distribution of development gains between urban and rural areas and among individuals. Additionally, we observe that UMDR has a more pronounced effect on common prosperity in eastern cities and those with a predominant service industry. This study enhances the comprehension of the relationship between urban land revenue disparities, prosperity, and equitable sharing, presenting a new perspective for the administration to contemplate the utilization of land-based policy tools in pursuit of the common prosperity goal and ultimately achieve sustainable development. Full article

As a cultural corridor connecting the Central Plains and Northeast China, the Liaoxi Corridor has a special position in the transmission of traditional Chinese culture. Traditional villages in the region have preserved rich intangible cultural heritage and traditional architectural features, which highlight the historical heritage of multicultural intermingling. This study fills the gap in the spatial distribution of traditional villages in the Liaoxi Corridor and reveals their spatial distribution pattern, which is of great theoretical significance. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis and quantitative geography, this study analyzes the spatial pattern of traditional villages and the influencing factors. The results show that traditional villages in the Liaoxi Corridor are clustered, forming high-density settlement areas in Chaoyang County and Beizhen City. Most villages are located in hilly and mountainous areas and river valleys and are affected by the natural geographic environment (topography and water sources) and historical and human factors (immigration and settlement, border defense, ethnic integration, etc.). In conclusion, this study provides a scientific basis and practical reference for rural revitalization, cultural heritage protection, and regional coordinated development, aiming at revealing the geographical and cultural mechanisms behind the spatial distribution of traditional villages. Full article

Traditional Chinese villages, which have long supported villagers’ comfort level of daily activities, are increasingly affected by global climate change and rural reconstruction, prompting growing research interest in their outdoor microclimate design. This systematic review aims to synthesize and evaluate the outdoor microclimate spatial design mechanism studies in traditional Chinese villages noted for their uniqueness and complexity. Following the PRISMA method, this study was carried out on November 27, 2024, by retrieving studies from the Scopus and CNKI databases and applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria; 42 empirical studies were systematically reviewed. It identifies current research trends, summarizes concepts, frameworks, indicators, and methodologies with a focus on the design mechanisms considering scales, contexts, and user groups, and outlines directions for future research. The findings reveal a growing number of publications, with case studies predominantly concentrated on three concepts: physical microclimates, human comfort, and behavioral responses, characterized as distributed in south-east areas. Based on these concepts and their correlations, this study proposes a classification framework based on multiple scales, contexts, and user groups. Within this framework, the study found that relative humidity and PET (physiological equivalent temperature) emerge as the most commonly used indicators, while field measurements, simulations, surveys, and observations are identified as the primary methods. The review further reveals that unique outdoor spatial design characteristics shape physical microclimates, human comfort, and behavior indicators influenced by contexts and users from the macro to the micro scale. Future research should advance existing studies by enriching the current contextual framework and explore more microclimatic factors. This review offers a comprehensive overview and actionable insights for outdoor microclimate design, policymaking, and the promotion of climate adaptation and villagers’ public health in different traditional rural settings. Full article

Agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs) signify the progressive trajectory of modern agriculture. However, their development encounters significant challenges in many nations. The digital economy, characterized by its strong innovative capacity, offers continuous impetus for advancing agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs). Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2014–2023), this study employs a two-way fixed-effects model, mediation and threshold effect analyses, and a spatial Durbin model to comprehensively assess the influence of the digital economy (DE) on agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs). The findings reveal that (1) the digital economy (DE) significantly enhances the advancement of agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs); (2) while its positive effect is pronounced in eastern, central, and western China, the impact is weaker in the northeastern region; (3) rural financial development (RFD) acts as a mediator in the relationship between digital economy (DE) growth and agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs); (4) the digital economy (DE)’s contribution to agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs) demonstrates non-linear trends; and (5) spatially, while the digital economy (DE) boosts the local agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs), it exerts a negative spillover effect on neighboring areas. This research offers fresh empirical insights into the determinants of agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPFs) and suggests policy measures to support agricultural modernization. Full article

The realization of agricultural modernization inevitably requires the improvement of agricultural land productivity. Rural public science and technology services is an important driving force to improve agricultural land productivity. However, can rural public science and technology services accelerate the process of agricultural modernization by improving land productivity? This paper innovatively constructs an evaluation index system and an mediating mechanism model, measures the comprehensive index of agricultural modernization and rural public science and technology services through the global entropy method, and empirically tests the mediating effect of the mechanism of “land productivity” with the help of measurement methods such as the Sobel–Goodman test and Bootstrap test. The research results find that rural public science and technology services can positively promote agricultural modernization and pass the 1% significance level test. There is a significant mediating effect of “increasing production” in the impact of rural public science and technology services on agricultural modernization, that is, rural public science and technology services can significantly promote agricultural modernization through the mechanism of “improving land productivity”. Government intervention and economic growth are significantly positive, which can significantly promote agricultural modernization. These findings have clear policy implications: Chinese government should accelerate the filling of gaps in rural public technology services between urban and rural areas in the southwest region, empower land productivity through science and technology, and promote the transformation of agricultural scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces. This research is helpful to provide policy reference and case experience for similar areas to speed up agricultural modernization by giving full play to the mechanism of “improving land productivity” of agricultural science and technology services. Full article

Rural revitalization, as a crucial strategic goal for rural development in contemporary China, encompasses multidimensional connotations and requirements. Following the establishment of the ‘three rights separation’ system in 2014, land transfer has increasingly assumed a vital role, demonstrating a close and complex intrinsic logical relationship with rural revitalization. To comprehensively analyze the diverse impacts of land transfer on rural revitalization as discussed in the literature, we employ a ‘goal–strategy–indicator–outcome’ analytical framework to conduct a meta-analysis and visual assessment of 131 cases drawn from 52 articles published over the past decade. We systematically explore the pathways by which land transfer impacts rural revitalization and validate the results using typical cases reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs through Python 3.9 analysis. The findings reveal the following: (1) Land transfer generally exerts a positive impact on rural revitalization (81.7% of 107 cases). (2) It significantly boosts living standards (84% positive cases) and industrial prosperity (88.4% positive cases); rural cultural civilization shows 100% positive cases yet with statistically insignificant coefficients, while its impacts on ecological livability (60%) and effective governance (70.6%) are insignificant. (3) Among 12 indicators, those related to agricultural production and farmers’ livelihoods are positive, whereas those concerning rural ecology and governance are negative. This study indicates that land transfer plays a key role in the rural revitalization strategy, but the ecological impacts and governance challenges that it presents require ongoing attention and optimization at the policy level. Full article

The willingness to pay (WTP) for green energy consumption not only indicates the public’s green energy consumption practices, but also affects the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals and global green development. Based on data from the 2018 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this study describes the WTP for green energy consumption of Chinese urban and rural residents in the context of “dual carbon”. Moreover, it provides an in-depth interpretation from the perspectives of capital endowment and energy cognition, guided by social practice theory (SPT). This study found that, firstly, the public’s WTP for green energy consumption needs to be strengthened urgently, and the percentage of the refusal to participate group reaches 41.44%, and shows significant urban–rural differences. Compared with rural residents, the proportion and amount of WTP for urban residents are 7.5% and 4.016 CNY/month higher, respectively. Secondly, capital endowment and energy cognition are important influencing factors. Among them, economic capital (β = 0.647, p < 0.01) and cultural capital (β = 0.358, p < 0.05) play a significant role for urban residents, while rural residents depend on the government support cognition of energy (β = 7.678, p < 0.001). Finally, the urban–rural divergence in WTP for green energy consumption mainly stems from the gap in capital endowment, which contributes 29.08%, significantly higher than the contribution of energy cognition (8.34%). Therefore, efforts should be made to enhance the capital endowment levels of urban and rural residents, implement a targeted energy knowledge dissemination system, build a comprehensive government support system, and break down institutional barriers through urban–rural integration to guard against the disadvantages of rural residents. Full article

Traditional Chinese Kang heating systems have been used for over two millennia in northern China, yet their thermal efficiency and optimal design parameters lack scientific validation. This study aims to establish evidence-based guidelines for Kang-to-room area ratios to enhance thermal comfort and energy efficiency in rural architecture. We conducted direct measurements in a controlled experimental house (24 m²) in Huludao City, collecting temperature and humidity data from Kang surfaces and interior spaces over five-day periods. A benchmark curve for heat flux density was developed based on specific fuelwood consumption rates (1 kg/m²). TRNSYS simulations were employed to validate experimental data and analyze thermal performance in the historical Qingning Palace (352 m²) at Shenyang Imperial Palace. The benchmark curve demonstrated high accuracy with a Mean Absolute Error of 0.46 °C and Root Mean Square Error of 0.53 °C when compared to measured temperatures over the 48 h validation period; these values are well within acceptable ranges for calibrated thermal models. Simulations revealed optimal thermal comfort conditions when heat dissipation parameters were scaled appropriately for building size. The optimal Kang-to-room area ratio ranges from 0.28 to 0.69, with the existing Qingning Palace ratio (0.34) falling within this range, validating traditional design wisdom. This research provides a scientific foundation for sustainable architectural practices, bridging traditional knowledge with contemporary thermal engineering principles for both heritage preservation and modern rural construction applications. Full article

Ample evidence has recognized the importance of teacher support for children’s mental health. However, less is known about the factors that may play a role in the association between teacher support and children’s mental health. In the present study, we examined the mediating role of self-concept and the moderating role of area (i.e., rural vs. urban area) in the relationship between teacher support and children’s mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety). We used a sample of Chinese elementary students who enrolled in grades 3 to 6 (N = 525, aged 8–13, 44.54% girls). Results showed that children who perceived more teacher support tended to report better mental health. Moreover, the relationship between perceived teacher support and mental health was mediated by each domain of self-concept. Lastly, the association between teacher support and mental health was moderated by area, with a stronger effect found for urban children compared with rural children. These findings highlight the importance of considering both individual and contextual factors in the association between teacher support and children’s mental health. Practical strategies are proposed for school teachers, professionals, and policymakers to foster children’s psychological well-being. Full article

The equitable allocation of clean energy access across towns–rural divides is a critical benchmark of modernization in developing economies. This is because it is intricately linked to the realization of strategic goals such as shared prosperity, ecological civilization advancement, and national energy security reinforcement. This research examines the impact of China’s digital village (DV) construction in reducing the urban–rural disparity in household clean energy access, evaluates the effect on towns–rural clean energy consumption inequality (CEI), explores the mediating mechanisms, and considers regional heterogeneity. It is an innovative approach to test the influence of digital village construction on clean energy consumption inequality between urban and rural areas, beyond which conventional research is limited to infrastructure investment and policy considerations. We can reach the following three results: (1) With the continuous improvement of digital village construction, CEI between towns and rural areas shows an “inverted U-shaped” change. (2) From the perspective of the intermediary mechanism, agricultural technological progress (ATP) and industrial structure upgrading (IND) can facilitate digital village construction and reduce the disparity in clean energy consumption between towns and rural regions. (3) From the perspective of heterogeneity analysis, digital village construction in areas with low urbanization levels, high terrain undulation, and non-clean energy demonstration provinces can significantly alleviate CEI. It is on this basis that the present paper proposes a policy recommendation for the Chinese government to effectively reduce the gap between towns and rural clean energy consumption in the process of digital village construction. Full article