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Description
In classical China, cities and villages functioned as two distinct yet complementary communities: the former served administrative and economic functions, while the latter acted as a foundation for agricultural production. However, as modern urban development advanced in China, this complementary urban-rural relationship gradually disintegrated. Cities came to be regarded as “advanced,” while villages were labeled as “backward,” leading to the gradual decline of rural culture.
In response to this issue, China introduced the concept of "traditional villages" in 2012. This initiative aimed to draw attention to classical rural communities, prevent the loss of rural culture in the rapid urbanization process, and reevaluate urban-rural relations to mitigate conflicts between the two spheres.
This study explores the shifts and developments in China's policies on the protection and utilization of traditional villages from 2012 to the present. It highlights the challenges and contradictions in the planning processes of traditional villages and traces their evolution from nonexistence to maturity. The study also reflects changes in the Chinese government’s attitude toward rural heritage and the reconstruction of urban-rural relations.
Between 2012 and 2014, the Chinese government issued six batches of the “Traditional Village Protection List” and three batches of the “Traditional Village Clustered Protection Demonstration Zone List.” The former focused on individual villages as planning units, while the latter adopted a cluster-based approach to plan multiple villages in the same region collectively.
Based on these two initiatives, this paper systematically organizes relevant policy documents, governance models, and planning schemes. It delineates the evolution of traditional village protection from single-village planning to a cluster-based approach. Through textual analysis, the paper examines changes in the assessment criteria for traditional villages across batches and explores the reasons behind these shifts. This analysis not only sheds light on the trajectory of traditional village planning but also provides significant insights for future rural planning efforts.
On one hand, this research demonstrates multilevel planning and management mechanisms alongside a top-down policy-making model. On the other hand, it reveals the subtle transformations in urban-rural interactions. Although this study focuses on the protection and planning of traditional villages in China, its methodology offers valuable reference points for heritage management in other regions and contexts.
| Keywords | Multilevel Planning; Traditional Villages; Evolution; Urban-Rural Relations |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
