Post-materialist Development in Rural China and the Case of Zhejiang

• In Event: Central-Local Relations in China

Abstract

China has achieved notable social and economic progress as a result of its policy of reform and opening-up, adopted over four decades ago. According to Ronald Inglehart, whose assumptions are based on research conducted in the West, once economic growth attains a specific threshold of achievement, the general public will shift its focus from material well-being and physical security to the pursuit of a higher quality of life. The question is, does this assumption apply in the context of China? In his report presented at the CCP’s 19th National Congress, Xi Jinping said that the foremost social issues in China revolve around addressing its people’s desire for a better quality of life, including in non-material dimensions. The CCP has launched pilot projects in different regions of China aimed at exploring post-materialist development. There is a notable disparity in the levels of economic growth and civic influence between various regions of China, and the southeastern coastal province of Zhejiang is recognized for its relative affluence and robust private sector and civil society. Consequently, it has been chosen as a site for the implementation of administrative reforms and innovations, including experiments in post-materialist development.

This study focuses on rural areas of Zhejiang, which are less developed than the urban areas of the province. In recent years, the CCP has designated Zhejiang as a demonstration zone for the implementation of “digital village” (shuzixiangcun) and “common prosperity” (gongtongfuyu) initiatives, as well as technological and cyber-based innovations aimed at improving the governance of society. We argue that Zhejiang will go beyond its previous focus on economic growth and material well-being and embrace post-materialist development, thereby achieving the “beautiful countryside” (meilixiangcun) ideal that the CCP has promoted in the past few years. According to the least likely case methodology employed in this study, it is reasonable to assume that if the rural areas of Zhejiang demonstrate an inclination toward post-materialism, other parts of Zhejiang and other comparatively developed areas of China are likely to be undergoing a similar transformation.

The case of Zhejiang may be regarded as an experiment. In his political report to the 19th (2017) and 20th (2022) Party Congress, Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "implement a strategy of rural revitalization and give priority to the development of agriculture and rural areas.” The CCP has launched a number of policy initiatives in rural areas, including extending social welfare and social insurance programs, improving standards of education, introducing a more flexible household registration system, and expanding tax reform. As part of an emerging trend, in Zhejiang, digitization and informatization have been integrated into these rural development initiatives. These technological solutions are seen as a significant way of achieving post-materialist objectives. Nevertheless, it is crucial to point out that the CCP’s emphasis on collectivism rather than individualism in its exploration of post-materialism is very different from the Western model.

As the “most post-materialist” province in China, Zhejiang serves as a starting point for the CCP to contemplate China’s future development path. Richard Lowenthal, in his landmark study published in 1970, argued that communist regimes must undergo a transition from Utopia to a modernization state in order to address the need for survival and development. This proposition has been confirmed in subsequent studies in the field of comparative communism. Most scholars, however, do not go beyond the modernization phase.

We argue that China is assessing its approach to governance in the post-modern or post-materialist era, and that Zhejiang serves as an ideal testing ground for China’s post-materialist policies. The policies that have been implemented in rural Zhejiang align with our findings and assessments.

Author

• Wen-Hsuan Tsai, Academia Sinica