The Rural Gentrification and Its Impacts in Traditional Villages―A Case Study of Xixinan Village, in China

Abstract

Since the reform and opening up in 1978, China has experienced a rapid urbanization process, with an increasing urban population. In recent years, with the improvement of the rural living environment and the rise of the urban middle class, more and more people have moved from cities to villages in China. The gentrification phenomenon has also emerged in rural China. This paper takes Xixinan Village, a traditional village in China, as a case. On the basis of field investigation, it employs qualitative research methods and grounded theory to explore the emergence and influence of rural gentrification in the traditional village. The finding show that: (1) the rural gentrification in Xixinan Village was divided into two stages, namely, the setting-in stage of immigrants (2009–2014) and the rural gentrification development stage (2015–present). (2) The impacts of rural gentrification in Xixinan Village primarily include four aspects: population growth, landscape change, economic transformation and cultural transformation. The increased population mainly includes the urban lifestyle type of gentrifiers, new rural construction type of gentrifiers and returning home entrepreneurial type of gentrifiers. The landscape change is mainly manifested in the spatial form of villages, housing landscape, street landscape and other aspects. The economic transformation is manifested in the rapid development of rural tourism services and cultural industry in Xixinan. In addition, with the influx of the new urban middle class, new aesthetic methods and cultural vitality have emerged in Xixinan Village. (3) The rural gentrification and its impacts in Xixinan Village can be interpreted from three perspectives, i.e., consumption orientation, production orientation and the unique role of the government. Furthermore, the limitations of the study are briefly analyzed, and the “displacement” problem caused by rural gentrification in China needs follow-up research in the future.