Impacts of concentrated rural resettlement policy on rural restructuring in upland areas: A case study of Qiantang Town in Chongqing, China

Concentrated rural resettlement (CRR) is a top-down approach widely adopted in upland rural China under its 'increasing vs. decreasing balance' policy. Rural households engaged in CRR have been resettled in new high-density rural settlements. However, it has been reported in limited studies to date and its effects on rural restructuring remain under-explored. Through in-depth field surveys conducted in Qiantang Town in Chongqing, this study investigates the rural restructuring trajectory following CRR implementation. The results indicate that CRR has led to marked spatial and social restructuring, which has strengthened the village-town hierarchical system and expanded the resettled residents' social networks. However, economic restructuring was laggard and was accompanied by the persistent out-migration after CRR, which directly weakened community governance. Our findings reveal that the CRR examined herein, which delivers social-spatial restructuring, does offer an approach that deals with rural services/infrastructure challenges through local democratic structures. Despite the economic and administrative weaknesses, we argue that CRR is indispensable for rural restructuring under the present circumstances if it effectively engages with China's Rural Revitalisation Strategy.