With heavier investments from the central government in recent years, Chinese villages have fostered a new look. As a systematic project involving life, ecology and production, the construction of beautiful villages has become a key point connecting the strategies of “poverty alleviation,” “rural revitalization” and “new urbanization.”

Yu Fawen, a research fellow of the Rural Development Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that building beautiful villages includes improving rural infrastructure, housing conditions for rural residents and the ecological environment. Since resources and social economic development levels vary from region to region, we must adjust the models for constructing beautiful villages according to local conditions.

Zhu Qizhen, head of the Institute of Peasant Issues at China Agricultural University, said that so far, in rural areas, environmental governance, infrastructure in public spaces, transformation of social traditions and construction of rural civilization have all made great progress.

The rural areas will further break away from the pattern of sole dependence on agriculture, thanks to the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas, as well as the building of special towns and beautiful villages, said Wang Jingxin, a professor from the Land Academy for National Development at Zhejiang University.

“At its current state, the construction of beautiful villages mainly focuses on enhancing the external environment and meeting people’s material needs, thus overlooking the importance of meeting people’s spiritual needs,” observed Luo Biliang, dean of the National School of Agricultural Institution and Development.

Luo pointed out that the existing development scheme stresses resource investment in areas such as infrastructure upgrading, village renovation and educational resources. However, the current development model relying on government input may induce resource competition among villages. Therefore, we must focus on tapping the potential of local natural resources and human resources and help villages set up their own development models based on regional features.