How mega events redefine rurality? CunBA and the (re)production of rurality in China

Abstract

The rural revitalization experience in China is being transformed by the village basketball association (CunBA), an event embedded in rural everyday practices or strategically designed to shape the perception of rural space. As this event integrates into daily rural life, it has the potential to alter both rural space and rurality itself. Using the theoretical framwork of performing rurality and employing Actor Network Theory (ANT) as an analytical tool, this paper examines the process and effects of rurality transformation as various actors, including the state and digital platform users, become part of this network. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews and netnography data, the study reveals that the reconstruction of rurality is influenced by the interactions within a heterogeneous actor network. It finds that rurality is enacted within a dynamically equilibrated network and that the meaning and outcomes of rurality are redefined through the interactions between human and non-human actors and the evolving network. By focusing on rural China, this paper aims to contextualize the concept of “performing rurality” and further explore its theoretical issues in a digital context. The findings indicate that rural revitalization in China increasingly depends on digital platforms to perform rurality. This phenomenon must be understood within the context of “post-rurality” and the broader socio-cultural processes behind it in rural China.