Rural Built Environment of Sichuan Province, China

433 Pages·2020·9.072 MB·English

by  Yibin Ao, Igor Martek

Yibin Ao
Igor Martek
Rural Built
Environment
of Sichuan
Province, China
Rural Built Environment of Sichuan Province,
China
·
Yibin Ao Igor Martek
Rural Built Environment
of Sichuan Province, China
YibinAo IgorMartek
ChengduUniversityofTechnology DeakinUniversity
Chengdu,China Geelong,VIC,Australia
ISBN978-981-33-4216-3 ISBN978-981-33-4217-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4217-0
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Preface by Yibin Ao
In1978,Chinabeganitsdomesticreformofthecountryside.Morethanfortyyears
have passed and great change has taken place. Rapid urbanization is gradually
bringing rural and urban China closer together, which has directly impacted the
livesofruralresidents.Thisbringswithitchallengesaspeopleandnaturestriveto
coexist,andsosustainabledevelopmentmusttobeprioritized.Withthischange,the
imperative to investigate the relationship between the rural built environment and
theimpactthishasonthedailyactivitiesoflocalresidentsemergesasasignificant
concern.Howeffectivehastheprogressbeentodate,whatcanwelearn,andwhat
directionsshoulddevelopmentoftheruralbuiltenvironmenttakefromhere?This
compilationofresearchisintendedtoprovideafoundationofunderstandingaimed
atinformingtheoreticaldevelopmentintoquestionsofprogressingthequalityoflife
forruralvillagers.
IwasborninaruralvillageinSichuanprovince,andhavewitnessedfirst-handthe
dramaticchangesthathavetakenplaceinruralChina.Ihaveseenhowthesechanges
have influenced rural residents’ beliefs, values and behaviors. The developments,
however,havenotalwaysdeliveredtheexpectedoutcomes.Extensiveinfrastructure
investmentshaveresultedinall-weatherroadsnowreachingandlinkingeverysettle-
mentwithintheprovince,nomatterhowremote.Yet,economicprosperityhasnot
necessarilyfollowed,withamajorityofable-bodiedpeoplevotingtomigratetobig
cities,leavingvillagestotheveryoldandveryyoung.
Seeingallthis,Ihavealwayswantedtodosomethingtopromoteruralresidents’
quality of life and help construct a new countryside which better serves the needs
andexpectationsofruralresidents.Tothatend,Ibelieveitimportanttounderstand
the lived conditions experienced in rural China if one wants to effect meaningful
change,eitherasaruralplannerorasapolicymaker.Thewayforwardcametome
duringmysecondmentasvisitingscholartotheDepartmentofBuiltEnvironmentat
EindhovenUniversityofTechnologyinNetherlands,July2017toJuly2018.There
I began work with Dr. Dujuan Yang on a comprehensive research strategy, and on
myreturntoChina,beganfieldwork,movingfromvillagetovillage,householdto
household,interviewingpeopleandrecordingtheirviewsandexperiences.
Theimportanceofthisworkwasrecognizedbyvariousgovernmentbodiesand
agencieswhogenerouslyofferedfinancialsupport,withoutwhichnoneofthiswould
v
vi PrefacebyYibinAo
havebeenpossible.Iwishtoacknowledgetheircontributionhere.Inchronological
order, the projects and their sponsors are:- Sichuan University Graduate Student
Research and Innovation Project: The Influence of Changes in Rural Built Envi-
ronment on Rural Residents’ Traveling Activities and Energy Consumption (NO.
2012017yjsy215),2017/09-2018/12;ChengduUniversityofTechnologyPhilosophy
and Social Sciences Project: The Influence of Changes in Rural Built Environ-
mentonRuralResidents’DomesticConsumptionofEnergy(NO.YJ2017-NS011),
2018.01-2018.12;DepartmentofEducationofSichuanProvince:AStudyonHowto
ImprovetheSystemofInfrastructureConstructionforAgriculturalProduction(NO.
18ZA0048);2018.01-2020.12.TheResearchCenterforGoverningRuralCommu-
nities:AStudyoftheInfluenceoftheLivingconditionofRuralCommunitiesonthe
RuralResidents’SenseofSatisfactionandtheirRelationship(NO.SQZL2019C01),
2019.01-2020.12; TheStudy Center fortheImproving CustomsinSichuan’s New
Countryside: A Study on the Mechanism of How Rural Built Environment Influ-
ences the Healthy Lifestyle of Rural Residents in the New Era (SCXN2019-004),
2019.01-2021.12; Sichuan Province Social Science Project: A Study on the Influ-
ence of Spatial Heterogeneity in Rural Built Environment on Aged Rural Resi-
dents’QualityofLifeandtheirRelationship(SC19TJ030),2019.08-2020.08;Major
ProjectofScience&TechnologyDepartmentofSichuanProvince:AStudyofthe
ModeofConstructionandManagementofInfrastructurefortheDisposalofHouse-
holdWastefromthePerspectiveofPublicParticipatingBehaviors(2020JDR0177),
2020.01-2021.12.
Asaninterdisciplinaryresearchfield,thiscollectionofstudiescoversurbanand
ruralplanning,humangeography,humanbehavior,andmanagement.Iwouldliketo
offermysinceregratitudetoallmycolleagues,withoutwhoseeffortandexpertise
thisbookwouldnotbepossible.Iwouldalsoliketoextendmythankstothestaffat
Springer,whohelpedandsupportedthepublicationofthisbook.Ialsooweagreat
debttoallthestudentswhoparticipatedinthisstudy.Thefieldresearchvolunteers,
drawn from the master’s and bachelor’s programs in Engineering Management at
ChengduUniversityofTechnology,provedtoberigorousandthoroughingarnering
the extensive data resource of questionnaires surveys. Trekking across mountains
andenduringthetoughconditionsdaysonend,testifiestotheirdedication.Lastbut
notleast,Iwanttothankmywife,YanWang,whoseuntiringsupportmadethisbook
possible.
Finally,Ishouldpointoutthatthissetofstudiesremainspreliminary.Thisbook
takes the rural regions of Sichuan as its research object, but China is vast, with
significant differences between regions. Much more work remains to be done if
thereistobeafullunderstandingofthedevelopmentofruralChinaandtheimpact
thatprogresshasmadetothedailylivesofruralresidents.Iwelcomeallinterested
researcherstojoinmeinprogressingthisimportantwork,andinsodoing,further
contributetothedevelopmentofruralChina,andtheworldbeyond.
Chengdu,China YibinAo
September2020
Preface by Igor Martek
IfirstvisitedSichuanProvince,China,inthewinterof1992.Mytravelsbeganwith
a bus ride across the border from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. The 170 kilometers
thatseparatedthesetwocitieswasstrewnwithfarmplots,redearthroads,canals,
and a continuous vista of shabby brick dwellings. From Guangzhou, my journey
beganinearnest.Iboardedasovietstyletrainwiththeluxuryofasleepercarriage.
My bed was the bottom bunk in a vertical column of three. The mattress was a
thinsheetofbamboo,thefloorwaswoodenboards,andforheatingandhotwater
there was a coal fired furnace at the end of the carriage. I perched there for three
daysandthreenights,enjoyingthecompanyofarotatingmeleeoftravelersdressed
in blue Mao suits and shared the hours playing cards, chewing sunflower seeds,
and inhaling second-hand cigarette smoke. Outside, the view shifted slowly from
endless expanses of rice fields as we rose up the center of China to Wuhan, to the
undulatinggreyterrainoftheYangtseRiverbasin.Themorningofdaythreegreeted
mewithrisingmountainscapessohighandsoclosethattheirpeakshoveredoutof
viewabovemywindow.BythetimeIreachedChengdu,Sichuan’scapital,IfeltI
hadbeentransportedtoanothertimeandplace.Ashortwalkfromtheice-covered
concretedplazaanddimelectriclightsofthemainstation,andIwasabsorbedinto
amazeofnarrowearthenalleywaysbustlingwithpeople;trading,eating,gossiping,
andlivingouttheirlives,aspeoplemighthavedoneacenturyearlier.
ContrastthiswithmylastChinatrip,January,thisyear.IsteppedontotheG90
high-speedtrain,lateafternoonatChengduEast,withmyStarbuckscoffeeinhand,
and2000kilometersandeighthourslaterIsteppedoutintotheeveningatBeijing
West.Thepointtothisanecdoteistoconfirmwhateverybodywithanyinterestin
world events knows; China has arguably progressed faster and more dramatically
thananysocietyinhistory.
By the time I began my annual visits to China, the excesses of the Cultural
Revolution and Great Leap Forward were past. Following Mao Zedong’s death in
1976, Deng Xiaoping outmaneuvered Mao’s chosen successor, Hua Guofeng, and
ensconcedhimselfdefactoleader,inDecember1978.Dengiscreditedwith“opening
upChina.”Thoughanavowedcommunist,hefamouslyproclaimed“Nomatterthe
catbeblackorwhite,solongasitcatchesmice.”Thisportendedamorepractical
approachtoChina’sdevelopment,combiningsocialistideologywithfreeenterprise;
vii
viii PrefacebyIgorMartek
theso-called“SocialismwithChinesecharacteristics.”Dengproposedathree-step
developmentstrategyforChina,tobedeliveredoverseventyyears.First,thepopu-
lation had to be assured of sufficient food and clothing. This meant doubling the
1980 GDP, and this was achieved by the end of the decade. The second step was
to quadruple that GDP, giving citizens some discretionary spending power. That
happened ahead of schedule, in 1995. Deng’s third goal was to lift China to the
statusofamediumdevelopedcountry,by2050.Thismilestonehasbeentakenup
bysuccessiveleaders,andremainsChina’sambitiontothisday.
ReinvigoratingtheChineseeconomywaspredicatedonimprovingrelationswith
theWest,andthroughthatengagement,deliveringthe“fourmodernizations”ofagri-
culture, industry, science and the military. In practice, this manifested as Special
Economic Zones (SEZs) which offered favored conditions to foreign investors.
Western enterprises were promised access to the potentially vast Chinese market
inexchangefortheirmanagerialexpertiseandtechnologytransfers.Between1980
and1984,ChinacreatedSEZsinShenzhen,oppositeHongKong,Zuhai,opposite
Macau,aswellasinShantou,XiamenandovertheentireislandofHainan.Fourteen
other coastal cities opened up in 1984, from Dalian in the north, to Guangzhou in
thesouth.In1985,wholeregionswereliberalized,fromtheShandongPeninsulato
the Pearl River Delta. In 1992, this was extended to provincial capitals, including
Chengdu.Consequently,China’spercapitaGDPhasexploded.In1950itwas$50,
in1970itwas$100,andin1990itwas$350.Today,Chinaasawholeenjoysaper
capitaGDPof$10,000;ahugegain,thoughstillshortofAmerica’slofty$60,000.
While SEZs did indeed attract foreign know-how that gave China the growth
it sought, there have been some unintended consequences. First, growth has been
differential,withcoastalcitiesfaroutperformingtheChinesehinterland.Thecityof
Shanghai,alone,hasaGDPequivalenttothatofIndonesia.NeighboringZhejiang
Province,tothesouth,hasaGDPequaltoAustralia’s,whileJiangsu,tothenorth,
hasaGDPonparwithRussia’s.PercapitaGDPinShanghaiis$23,000,butinmore
remoteregionsithoversatabout$5,000.Sichuansitsat$8,000.Second,coastalcities
likeShanghaihavegreaterconnectivitywiththerestoftheworldthantheydowith
China’sinterior.GoodscanbeexchangedbetweenShanghaiandLosAngeles,for
example,fasterandatlesscost,thanbetweenShanghaiandthewesternprovinces.
Third,theinter-provinceeconomicdisparitiesbetweencoastandinterioralsoextend
intra-province,betweenurbanandruralcommunities.
These factors lead to a fourth concern; the rural regions of China’s poorer
provincesarebeinghollowedout.InordertocapturethefruitsofChina’seconomic
growth,villagershavefeltcompelledtoabandonrurallifeandseektheirfortunesin
thecities.InMay,1980,atthetimeShenzhenwasdesignatedaSEZ,itwasasimple
fishing village with a population of a few hundred thousand. By 2019, Shenzhen
had ballooned to 12 million people, of which more than 10 million were transient
migrant workers with none of the rights of local residents. More to the point, as
China’s population has swollen from 600 million in the 1950s to its current 1.4
billion,China’sruralpopulationhasremainedastable550million.Thatis,China’s
ruraldemographichasreducedfrom86%tojust39%.Thepeopleleftinthecoun-
trysidearetheveryoldandveryyoung;grandparentsandtheirgrandchildren.The
PrefacebyIgorMartek ix
majority of able-bodied workers have moved off to the factories and construction
sitesoftheeasternsea-boardmetropolises.
Thisdisparityhasnotgoneunnoticedbytheauthorities.Raisingthelivingstan-
dards of the hinterland provinces, and of rural communities in particular, is an
emerging priority. Afterall, the Chinese communist revolution, unlike the Russian
revolution,wasachievedinthecountrysideonthebackoffarmersandrurallaborers.
Mao came from rural Hunan, and Deng himself was born in Sichuan. What is not
alwaysappreciatedaboutcommunistpartyofficialsisthattheirstandingwithinthe
politicalsystemishugelycompetitive.Promotionwithintheranksisdependenton
performance,whilerivalrybetweenofficialsatalladministrativelevels—provincial,
county, township—is rife. The pinnacle measure of success is economic growth,
closely followed by social stability. As investment in cities realize diminishing
returns, elevating the standard of living among country folk is gaining increasing
attention. The rural outflow of human capital has to be curbed, rural incomes and
work opportunities must be raised, and the amenities and infrastructure necessary
tosupporteconomicgrowthandimprovequalityoflifeneedstobelifted.Inshort,
if Deng’s third goal of advancing China to the status of a middle-income country
istobeachieved,thetimeisripeforcorrallingruralChinawithintheboundaryof
prosperityenjoyedbyChina’sfirstandsecondtiercities.
It is within this context that this present work should be appreciated. The rural
regions of Sichuan Province stand as a quintessential exemplar of the challenges
Chinafacesnationwideinbringingitsremainingunderprivilegedruralcommunities
toanacceptablestandardofliving.Indeed,muchworkhasbeendone;yetmuchwork
remains. This collection of research papers documents the state of play regarding
the conditions experienced by people in rural China, and offers important insights
intowherefutureeffortsmustbefocused.Itrepresentsthefirstsystematicbodyof
researchdocumentingtheimpactoftheruralbuiltenvironmentonthedailylifeof
Chinesevillagers.
Inworkingthroughthisbook,Iwoulddrawthereader’sattentiontothefollowing
points.First,andIhavethenon-Chinesereaderinmindhere,ithelpstoknowalittle
aboutSichuan.Superficially,itisjustoneofChina’stwenty-threeprovinces,along
withothermunicipalitiesandadministrativeregions,situatedinthesouthwest,and
hometothegiantpandaandhotpotcuisine.Consideredalone,however,Sichuanis
aslargeasFrance,withapopulationof82millionpeople.Itwasevenbiggerpriorto
Chongqingandits16millionpeoplebeingcarvedawayintoaseparatemunicipality,
in 1997. Sichuan is ringed by mountains, rising as high as 7500 meters, with its
capital,Chengdu,situatedwithinafertilebasin.TheQinglingmountainsstraddleits
northerfrontier,tothesoutharetheHimalayanmountainsofYunnan,andheading
west takes you up into the Tibetan Plateau. Sichuan literally means “four rivers,”
and the melting waters of the high plateau along with the subtropical monsoonal
rains endow the region with bumper harvests and immense biodiversity before its
plentiful runoff feeds into the mighty Yangtze River to the east. Sichuan’s relative
isolation also gives it a distinctive identity. It was home to the ancient kingdoms
of Ba and Shu and hosts present-day ethnic minorities of the Yi and Chiang. In
fact, Sichuan’s family of dialects diverge significantly from standard Mandarin in
x PrefacebyIgorMartek
phonology,vocabularyandgrammar,andcanbemutuallyunintelligible.Sichuanese
is spoken by 120 million people, and if it were classified as a distinct language it
wouldrank10thmostspokenintheworld,justbehindJapanese.
The second point to raise relates to the research itself. A glance at the contents
willreveal thisbookisconcerned withthebehavior ofruralpeopleinresponseto
developmentswithintheirbuiltenvironment;mattersoftransport,vehicleownership,
sanitationandwateruse,etc.Thesemightseemubiquitousthemes,butoneshould
keepinmindthattheseitemsrepresentbenchmarksbywhichruralpeoplemeasure
their status in relation to those in urban centers. In other words, these themes are
proxiesformeasuringprogressinclosingthequality-of-lifegapbetweenthelived
experiences of country and city people. Additionally, Chap. 12 is concerned with
earthquakes,andChap.13,withfloods.SichuansitsattheinterfaceoftheTibetan
plate and the Yangtze plate. It is subject to severe flooding, landslides and earth-
quakes.TheWenchuanEarthquakeofMay2008resultedin70,000deaths,leaving
500,000 homeless. Understanding the disaster preparedness capacity of villagers
further informs administrators of social stability risks and the potential for unex-
pected calamities to undo progress in the effort to bring rural citizens closer to
economicparitywithcitydwellers.
Finally,itisalsoworthappreciatingthemannerinwhichthisseriesofstudieshas
beenconducted.Thisisitselfavaluablepointofreflection.Theregionsvisitedare
extensive,withasmanyastenormoreremotelocalitiesexamined,oftenfarapartand
difficulttoreach.Accesstocommunitieswithintheselocalitieswascomprehensive,
withlargesurveysamplesbeinggarnered,andasmanyas700questionnairesbeing
administered.(Thisisdespitetheself-deprecatingclaimbytheleadauthorthatthe
efforts were modest.) The dedication of the research teams should also be noted,
with dozens of student researchers recruited to the tasks. And significantly, these
studiesweregenerouslysupportedbyawidearrayofinterestedorganizations.All
thisatteststothegreatunityofpurposebetweengovernmentagencies,theeducational
institutions,andruralvillagesthemselvesinprogressingthecauseofliftingtheliving
conditionsofChina’sruralcommunities.
I commend this series of studies on the rural built environment of Sichuan
Province,China.
Geelong,Australia IgorMartek
September2020