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Back to the Countryside: Rural Development and the Spatial Patterns of Population Migration in Zhejiang, China

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  • Weiming Tong

    (College of Economics, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
    Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

  • Kevin Lo

    (Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China)

Abstract

This study examines how rural development in China shapes new trends in population migration. Using first-hand, village-level data from Zhejiang—an economically developed province in China—we investigated the patterns and influencing factors of population migration between rural and urban areas. We conceptualized three types of migration in rural areas: rural out-migration, rural in-migration, and rural return-migration. First-hand data were collected from 347 villages. The results show that although rural out-migration remains the dominant form of migration, rural in-migration and return-migration are also common, and the latter two are positively correlated. Further, we found evidence to support the conclusion that rural economic, social, and spatial development encourages rural in-migration and return-migration but does not have a significant impact on rural out-migration. Therefore, it is foreseeable that rural in-migration and return-migration will become increasingly common in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Weiming Tong & Kevin Lo, 2021. "Back to the Countryside: Rural Development and the Spatial Patterns of Population Migration in Zhejiang, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:8:p:788-:d:616745
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Wen, Qi & Li, Jin & Ding, Jinmei & Wang, Jue, 2023. "Evolutionary process and mechanism of population hollowing out in rural villages in the farming-pastoral ecotone of Northern China: A case study of Yanchi County, Ningxia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
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    4. He Li & Hua He & Jian Zhang, 2022. "Study on Rural Development Evaluation and Drivers of Sustainable Development: Evidence from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-21, August.

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