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A Chinese route to sustainability: Postsocialist transitions and the construction of ecological civilization

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Listed:
  • Chen Liu
  • Lily Chen
  • Robert M. Vanderbeck
  • Gill Valentine
  • Mei Zhang
  • Kristina Diprose
  • Katie McQuaid

Abstract

This article explores the concept of sustainability in a postsocialist context through an analysis of official discourses relating to sustainability in more than 700 articles published in the Chinese‐language newspaper People's Daily in 2015. The Chinese conception of sustainability, which emerges as a top‐down model built upon traditional ideologies and Chinese socialist legacies, inclusive of economic growth, environmental sustainability, social justice and quality of life. This Chinese official discourse of sustainability places less emphasis on individuals' rights and more on the state's interests, and is encompassed in the Chinese concept of the “ecological civilization.” This article argues that if we are to build a full picture of the internationalized idea of sustainability we need to adopt a more international approach to thinking about the issue, drawing upon the sustainability‐related discourses constructed from different national contexts using local languages and rhetoric.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen Liu & Lily Chen & Robert M. Vanderbeck & Gill Valentine & Mei Zhang & Kristina Diprose & Katie McQuaid, 2018. "A Chinese route to sustainability: Postsocialist transitions and the construction of ecological civilization," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(6), pages 741-748, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:26:y:2018:i:6:p:741-748
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.1743
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    Cited by:

    1. Yilong Li & Yu-Ting Tang & May Tan-Mullins & Christopher D. Ives, 2023. "Exploring the Potential Opportunities of China’s Environmental Agenda, Ecological Civilization, on Global Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Xiaojun Zhang & Weiqiao Wang & Yunan Bai & Yong Ye, 2022. "How Has China Structured Its Ecological Governance Policy System?—A Case from Fujian Province," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-22, July.
    3. Yingfei He & Guoliang Zhang & Lijuan Chen, 2020. "Analysis of News Coverage of Haze in China in the Context of Sustainable Development: The Case of China Daily," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Hengrui Zhang & Jianing Zhang & Zhuozhuo Lv & Linjie Yao & Ning Zhang & Qing Zhang, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Landscape Ecological Risk and Associated Drivers: A Case Study of the Yellow River Basin in Inner Mongolia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, May.
    5. Mingkai Liu & Changxin Liu & Xiaodong Pei & Shouting Zhang & Xun Ge & Hongyan Zhang & Yang Li, 2021. "Sustainable Risk Assessment of Resource Industry at Provincial Level in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Jiangmin Yang & Desheng Xue & Gengzhi Huang, 2020. "The Changing Factors Affecting Local Environmental Governance in China: Evidence from a Study of Prefecture-Level Cities in Guangdong Province," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-17, May.
    7. Jianxue Chai & Lihui Zhang & Meng Yang & Qingyun Nie & Lei Nie, 2020. "Investigation on the Coupling Coordination Relationship between Electric Power Green Development and Ecological Civilization Construction in China: A Case Study of Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-29, October.
    8. Feng Dong & Yuling Pan & Xiaojie Zhang & Ziyuan Sun, 2020. "How to Evaluate Provincial Ecological Civilization Construction? The Case of Jiangsu Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-20, July.
    9. Peter Ferguson & Linda Wollersheim, 2023. "From sustainable development to resilience? (Dis)continuities in climate and development policy governance discourse," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 67-77, February.

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