Green shoots of revival: political leadership and the differentiation of space in a “Zero Pollution Village” in rural Zhejiang, China

Munro, N. , Chng, N. R. and Chen, L. (2023) Green shoots of revival: political leadership and the differentiation of space in a “Zero Pollution Village” in rural Zhejiang, China. Capitalism Nature Socialism, (doi: 10.1080/10455752.2023.2178945) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

This article uses a case study of a “Zero Pollution Village” (ZPV) initiative in Zhejiang, China, to illustrate how the Chinese state attempts to achieve rural revitalisation by harnessing the principles of uneven and combined development (UCD) and relying on the leadership of returned migrants known as “country sages” (乡贤, xiangxian). The ostensible goals of the initiative are to improve solid waste management and develop ecotourism, creating a model suitable for replication elsewhere. Village residents and the “country sages” aim to maximise returns on human, natural, social, and material resources at the scale of the village and household. The case shows how UCD can become a driver of both positive and negative changes which are manipulated by the state in pursuit of hybrid capitalist-socialist development. The research is based on research visits and follow-up interviews from 2019 to 2022.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Munro, Dr Neil and Chng, Dr Nai Rui
• Authors: Munro, N., Chng, N. R., and Chen, L.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU; College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Capitalism Nature Socialism
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1045-5752
• ISSN (Online): 1548-3290
• Published Online: 20 February 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Capitalism Nature Socialism 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License