Common Prosperity Across the Urban-Rural Divide: From Street Stalls to Small Farms—Early Signs of a Great Reversal?

In this paper, I argue that the return of the ‘common prosperity’ slogan to prominence in Chinese policy discourse in relation to the urban-rural divide is a response to a set of unexpected dilemmas encountered in the course of China’s unfolding development trajectory. A transitional developmental form emerged over several decades, mostly taking shape with a set of policies under the slogan of ‘urban-rural integration’ during the Hu-Wen era. While this was initially intended to dismantle the in-built inequalities established during the Mao years, a series of unforeseen crises has resulted in ongoing and renewed processes of extraction from the countryside. Recent studies show that attempts to equalize and stabilize relations between the urban-rural divide premised upon the urban supporting the rural have produced a developmental form which currently appears unsustainable. This has led to uncertainty and contestation among China’s leading policymakers, and between the center and localities. I suggest that seemingly marginal policy discussions on street stalls and small household farms are an indication of a breakdown in a previously precarious consensus among policymakers. How these debates unfold will provide analysts with important insights into the direction of policymaking, and the future trajectory of China’s development.