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Land Consolidation in Rural China: Life Satisfaction among Resettlers and Its Determinants

Author

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  • Weiming Tong

    (College of Economics, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
    Department of The Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

  • Kevin Lo

    (Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China)

  • Pingyu Zhang

    (Northeast Institution of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract

The Chinese government has pursued rural land consolidation under the Building New Rural Communities (BNRC) initiative. The consolidation projects aim to address the hollowing village problem, improve the living standards of rural dwellers, and promote urban-rural integration. Rural villages with small populations and poor infrastructure are merged into a centralized rural community, and their inhabitants are resettled. The newly vacated buildings are then converted to agriculture land, which allows cities to expand under the “no net loss” land-use policy. Despite the significance of the initiative, both in terms of the scale of operation and the impacts on the affected households, there are few empirical studies that scrutinize this form of rural restructuring. Drawing on data collected via surveys and interviews, this paper examines the processes of land consolidation and its impacts on villagers. From a development-as-modernization perspective, we outline three main processes of land consolidation: village mergers and resettlement, land circulation to rural cooperatives, and rural industrial development. Overall, the effects of land consolidation on the livelihood of resettled villagers are positive. This system generally improves housing and living conditions through increased levels of off-farm employment and income, but there are a number of barriers that may hinder a villager’s ability to find different employment. Housing and neighborhood characteristics have significant effects on the life satisfaction of villagers.

Suggested Citation

  • Weiming Tong & Kevin Lo & Pingyu Zhang, 2020. "Land Consolidation in Rural China: Life Satisfaction among Resettlers and Its Determinants," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:4:p:118-:d:345298
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yanbo Qu & Weiying Zhao & Lijun Zhao & Yanfeng Zheng & Zhiwei Xu & Huailong Jiang, 2022. "Research on Hollow Village Governance Based on Action Network: Mode, Mechanism and Countermeasures—Comparison of Different Patterns in Plain Agricultural Areas of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-26, May.
    2. Guodong Huang & Xiaoqiang Shen & Xiaobin Zhang & Wei Gu, 2023. "Quantitative Evaluation of China’s Central-Level Land Consolidation Policies in the Past Forty Years Based on the Text Analysis and PMC-Index Model," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-30, September.
    3. Emmanuel Bosompem Boadi & Shaojun Chen & Ebenezer Impriam Amponsah & Ruth Appiah, 2022. "Antecedents of Residential Satisfaction in Resettlement Housing in Ellembelle: A PLS-SEM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-13, September.
    4. Jieyong Wang & Xiaoyang Wang & Guoming Du & Haonan Zhang, 2022. "Temporal and Spatial Changes of Rural Settlements and Their Influencing Factors in Northeast China from 2000 to 2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, September.
    5. Qiqi Yin & Shenglu Zhou & Chengxiang Lv & Yang Zhang & Xueyan Sui & Xiaorui Wang, 2022. "Comprehensive Land Consolidation as a Tool to Promote Rural Restructuring in China: Theoretical Framework and Case Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, October.
    6. Yi Hua & Zhi Qiu & Wenjing Luo & Yue Wang & Zhu Wang, 2021. "Correlation between Elderly Migrants’ Needs and Environmental Adaptability: A Discussion Based on Human Urbanization Features," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-16, May.
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    8. Lingyu Kong & Xiaodong Xu & Wei Wang & Jinxiu Wu & Meiying Zhang, 2021. "Comprehensive Evaluation and Quantitative Research on the Living Protection of Traditional Villages from the Perspective of “Production–Living–Ecology”," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-25, May.
    9. Yanxu Li & Zhenfa Xie & Bo Li & Muhammad Mohiuddin, 2022. "The Impacts of In Situ Urbanization on Housing, Mobility and Employment of Local Residents in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-21, July.
    10. Yuyao Zuo & Chaoxian Yang & Guixin Xin & Ya Wu & Rongrong Chen, 2023. "Driving Mechanism of Comprehensive Land Consolidation on Urban–Rural Development Elements Integration," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-19, November.
    11. Yin, Qiqi & Sui, Xueyan & Ye, Bei & Zhou, Yujie & Li, Chengqiang & Zou, Mengmeng & Zhou, Shenglu, 2022. "What role does land consolidation play in the multi-dimensional rural revitalization in China? A research synthesis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. Zhongqiong Qu & Yongxin Wei & Xun Li, 2021. "Risk Perception of Rural Land Supply Reform in China: From the Perspective of Stakeholders," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-25, July.
    13. Li, Jing & Lo, Kevin & Zhang, Pingyu & Guo, Meng, 2021. "Reclaiming small to fill large: A novel approach to rural residential land consolidation in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

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