Rural Revitalization in China: Reversing Rural Decline and Eliminating Poverty

Rapid urbanization in China in the last 4 decades was fuelled by a huge out-migration of people from the countryside, contributing to rural decline in many areas. Recognition of ongoing rural poverty and the need to modernize the rural economy has given rise to a myriad of policies in the last quarter century supporting rural development, notably in two key initiatives: Creating the New Socialist Countryside (2005) and a Rural Revitalization Strategy (2017). The former focussed on creating improvements to the welfare system, health services and education in rural areas, and was subsequently accompanied by concerted efforts to eliminate rural poverty. Rural revitalization has emphasized the need for agricultural modernization and reducing the income gap between the countryside and the cities. Based on an assessment of the implementation and outcomes of the two initiatives, this paper explores the policies and key events in the process of rural improvement and revitalization in China. It summarizes the development stages of the relevant policies over time and examines the key facets of revitalization. It focuses on increased provision of services in rural areas as part of significant reductions in rural poverty, the reorganisation of agriculture via land consolidation, and the growth of new investment in rural-based industry.