Rural Urbanization: Theoretical Reflections and Practices in the Pearl River Delta

Abstract

Based on the concept of rural urbanization, this article reflects on the theories related to rural urbanization. Combining the historical development of rural areas at Chinese and international levels, it argues that rural urbanization is, like elsewhere in the world, an indispensable path for China's rural development. This is mainly based on two problems that China has faced during its development process: first, overcrowding, disruption of market networks, and restrictions on population migration; second, the lack of synchronization between industrialization and urbanization. This article takes the Pearl River Delta as a case study to explore the different stages of rural urbanization there since China's reform and opening-up and proposes questions and directions for further research into rural urbanization in the Pearl River Delta. Research in this area needs to be combined with rural revitalization and Chinese-style modernization in order to conduct more targeted academic research in the future.