Transformations in Rural Community Order: A Case Study of Puqian Village, Jiangxi Province, from 1978 to 2022

Xiaoping Zhang, Lu Zhang, Ziyi Zhao, Weiping Qu and Juncai Xu ()
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Xiaoping Zhang: School of Surveying and Spatial Information Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Lu Zhang: School of Surveying and Spatial Information Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Ziyi Zhao: School of Surveying and Spatial Information Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Weiping Qu: School of Surveying and Spatial Information Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Juncai Xu: Department of Civil Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Since the reform and opening-up, village communities in China have undergone significant transformations alongside rapid modernization. The reconstruction of these communities is a key issue in China’s rural revitalization efforts and necessitates an analysis of the evolutionary characteristics and drivers of village community order. This study defines the concept of village community order and develops corresponding evaluation indicators and quantitative methods. Taking Puqian Village in Ji’an County, Jiangxi Province, as a case study, the research explores the evolution of village community order across distinct development stages—1978, 1985, 2003, and 2022. Data for the study were collected through participatory rural appraisal, remote sensing image processing, and GIS spatial analysis. The results reveal that since the reform and opening-up, Puqian Village has experienced increasing spatial complexity, disordered spatial structures, unbalanced population dynamics, and a weakening social network. These changes were especially pronounced during the periods of market-oriented development and urban–rural integration. The evolution of village community order is influenced by factors such as livelihood transformations, the decline of local culture, the dissolution of public authority, and weakened governance structures. By analyzing village community order from the dual perspectives of social and spatial order, this study provides a systematic framework for understanding village community changes.

Keywords: village community; spatial order; social order; quantitative measurement; rural governance; reform and opening-up; Puqian Village (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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