The Construction of Rural Revitalization Demonstration Village in Shanghai: Evidence from the Three Towns in Western Qingpu District
Challenges and Objectives
Shanghai, a pioneer in rural environmental governance in China, faces challenges arising from rapid urbanization, leading to rural depopulation, aging communities, and administrative centralization. The New Rural Construction project, launched in 2006, aims to enhance rural infrastructure, resulting in the establishment of numerous demonstration villages. The Construction of Rural Revitalization Demonstration Village in Shanghai prioritizes nine agricultural areas, aspiring to achieve prosperity in industry, livability in ecology, civilization in rural culture, effective governance, and affluence in residents' lives. Six key initiatives drive the project, including constructing a metropolitan, rural industrial system, creating ecologically pleasant areas, promoting distinctive rural culture, accelerating rural governance modernization, improving residents' quality of life, and enhancing rural development in the metropolitan context. These measures seek to comprehensively address challenges, fostering sustainable rural development in Shanghai. This case study focuses on the Three Towns Rural Construction in Qingpu.
Collaboration Partners and Roles
The collaboration for rural revitalization in western Qingpu, initiated by the Leading Group for the Implementation of Rural Revitalization Strategy in 2018, combines national guidance and community governance. Challenges include a lack of effective mechanisms for rural development, economic guidance, and environmental regulations. The primary issue motivating collaboration is the ineffective financial mechanism in village collectives, hindering rural development. Incentives for collaboration include government policy support, economic benefits, social responsibility, and an increased sense of teamwork. Trust and commitment were moderate initially, growing over time with common goals, effective communication, and successful outcomes. The collaboration, closely monitored by the government, involves face-to-face and virtual interactions, weekly meetings, and conflict resolution on village committee platforms. Rules requiring consensus cover participation, activities, and off-limits areas, with sanctions or rewards based on adherence. Major funding is from government support, with technical assistance crucial. The village clerk provides clear leadership, engaging in both community-building and task-oriented activities. Knowledge-sharing includes environmental status, cultural knowledge, and agricultural techniques, with data collection and expert consultation for knowledge-building. In summary, the collaboration addresses rural challenges through a balanced, evolving approach, engaging diverse stakeholders.
Revitalisation Activities
In the economic domain, the rural revitalization project in western Qingpu focuses on cultivating new industries, leveraging the pristine ecological environment, and meeting the demand for an improved quality of life near the international metropolis. The emergence of organic farms, innovative B&Bs, country restaurants, and rural leisure experiences signifies the rapid diversification of economic activities. The project actively promotes agricultural modernization, establishing high-standard grain fields, demonstration areas, and supporting facilities, integrating technologies like big data and AI. Successful local agricultural industries and brands, such as Liantang Zizania and Qingpu Thin Rice, enhance market presence. In the societal domain, the project transforms the rural landscape by prioritizing initiatives in greening, afforestation, water environment improvement, and rural road upgrades. The overall appearance of rural areas improved, recognized with accolades like "China's Most Beautiful Leisure Villages" for Zhangma, Lianhu, Caihang, and Xu Lian. In the innovation domain, the project advances agricultural modernization, building high-standard fields and supporting facilities. Emerging technologies, including big data, AI, and 5G, enhance agricultural science and mechanization. Mechanized rice production and intelligent equipment, like drones, contribute to monitoring and traceability. The project fosters local agricultural industries, standardizing production practices and expanding market influence.
Revitalisation Outcome
The Rural Revitalization project in western Qingpu has been subject to a formal evaluation, primarily using qualitative and quantitative metrics related to the participation of villages in municipal rural revitalization demonstration villages and "national civilized villages". The Target Community Well-Being assessment highlights several improvements resulting directly from the project. Innovative forms of cooperation have emerged, with multiple subjects collaborating to build a new economy. Villages have diversified economic activities, such as tourism, woodworking, and agricultural projects, leading to improved economic conditions. Continuous innovation in rural governance models, including mechanisms like Party Member Service Stations and village sage committees, has enhanced community involvement and conflict resolution. Effective implementation mechanisms have been established across the three towns in western Qingpu, ensuring steady progress.
In terms of Project Sustainability, plans are in place to continue and extend the project, aligning with China's broader strategy of rural revitalization. While the current projects are primarily government-promoted, challenges related to weak endogenous power in villages must be addressed to establish a sustainable revitalization mechanism. Insights for future projects include strengthening regional coordination, constructing a land guarantee mechanism, increasing financial input, supporting new industries, and granting greater autonomy to villagers and grassroots organizations at the village level.
Overall, the outcomes demonstrate substantial success in various domains, with plans for continued development and sustainability aligned with broader national strategies.
This is the abridged version of a case prepared by AIRI Associate Fellow Han Aixi. For further information, please email Tsinghua University’s China Institute for Rural Studies at cirs@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.