Evolution Process and Characteristics of Multifactor Flows in Rural Areas: A Case Study of Licheng Village in Hebei, China

Abstract

This paper, taking a typical agricultural village in China as an example, explored the evolution process and characteristics of rural population flows, capital flows and information flows since the reform and opening up in 1978, using a social survey and spatial analysis. The daily mobility of the rural population constantly increased around the township and central village. The volume of rural capital flows was increased. The income of residents mainly came from the township and central village, and consumption was concentrated in the county, township, central village and online network. Rural information flows developed significantly, showing typical translocality. Additionally, rural production space and living space were constantly restructured, and physical space and virtual space intertwined, forming new features of urban and rural spatial–coordinated development and a hybridity of rural space. In conclusion, affected by the dominant economic form, the evolution process of rural population flows, capital flows and information flows had obvious stage characteristics, and there were guidance, promotion and competition relationships among the three factor flows. Daily mobility was a more objective representation of the rural evolution process. Additionally, the study proposed the theory and spatio-temporal model of rural multifactor flows.