New Rural China - Research on the Wuyi Model of New Rural Construction

Author: Xu Jiesun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-04-01
Features: In contemporary China, building a harmonious society, the relationship between urban and rural areas is a key issue. The construction of a new socialist countryside is a deepening understanding of the laws governing the "three rural issues" by the new central leadership collective, as well as a major strategic initiative to build a harmonious society. The final of the research project "Study on the Wuyi Model of New Countryside Construction," led by Professor Xu Jiesun, Director of the Institute of Anthropology at South-Central University for Nationalities, titled 《New Rural China—Study on the Wuyi Model of New Countryside Construction》, adopts an anthropological theoretical approach. Through field research, it comprehensively and thoroughly summarizes and generalizes 10 experiences in the construction of the new countryside in Wuyi County, integrating theories and methods from sociology, political science, cultural studies, statistics, and "three rural issues" research.
《New Rural China》 reviews the theoretical foundations of rural construction in China and concludes that the theoretical cornerstone of new countryside construction is the integration of urban and rural areas. According to 《New Rural China》, in 1847, Engels raised and discussed the issue of "urban-rural integration" in 《Principles of Communism》。 This is one of the communist ideals pursued by Marxist thinkers. Since the urban-rural relationship is a global issue, scholars both in foreign countries and China have addressed it. Therefore, fundamentally speaking, urban-rural integration is the theoretical cornerstone of new countryside construction. Professor Xu also defines urban-rural integration as a process where urban and rural areas gradually move from separation and opposition toward integration through interaction, ultimately achieving a unified urban-rural system. From this perspective, the fundamental goal of new countryside construction is to gradually reduce the urban-rural gap and integrate rural and urban areas step by step. This represents a major breakthrough in raising people's understanding of the significance of new countryside construction.
In new countryside construction, the common practice is to focus on village development, as seen in Japan and South Korea. During his research, Professor Xu discovered that in China, there is an issue of prioritizing "watermelons" over "peas," where "watermelon" refers to focusing on new countryside construction at the county level, and "pea" refers to focusing on it at the village level. From the central government's perspective, focusing on village-level new countryside construction is like picking "peas," while focusing on county-level construction is like prioritizing "watermelons." Professor Xu believes that the county level is the link and intersection between urban and rural areas, and county-level politics is the fundamental strategy for stabilizing the state. Focusing on county-level new countryside construction ensures "peace throughout the land," while county-level economics serves as the economic pillar for stabilizing the state, and focusing on it ensures "prosperity throughout the land." 《New Rural China》 provides a county-level model for new countryside construction in this sense.
《New Rural China》 theoretically refines and elevates the Wuyi experience in new countryside construction, arguing that the Wuyi model is composed of two fundamental elements: the coordination and balance between humans and nature, and the communication and harmony among people. Its connotation is rich. In terms of humans and nature, it includes five "mini-elements": ecological homelands, characteristic agriculture, industrial parks, hot spring tourism, and urban-rural coordination. In terms of human harmony, it includes five "mini-elements": government services, prioritizing education, relocation for poverty alleviation, village affairs supervision, and cultural vitality. The Wuyi model of new countryside construction not only holds universal significance for late-developing counties in how to advance new countryside construction but also has a nationwide typical significance for balancing and coordinating economic development with ecological protection.
In summary, 《New Rural China》 not only provides a historical summary of Wuyi's experience since the reform and opening-up, especially in new countryside construction, but can also serve as a historical reflection for Wuyi County in building a harmonious society. More importantly, it offers a vision of a "new rural China" for the entire country and even the world.