Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.10, 2020

The Practical Logic of Rural Development and a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects

(Abstract)

Wang Chunguang

In the practice of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, rural construction plays an important role, but we need to make an effort to resolve deficiencies, difficulties and priorities. From the perspective of modernization and modernity theory, we can go further into the practical logic of the development of rural construction in terms of three dimensions: values; institutions and structure; and subjective consciousness and the pursuit of a better life. Research shows that the value of being “moderately prosperous” guides rural areas from economic development alone to progress across the five areas of the economy, society, culture, the environment and governance, and thence into the nation’s overall modernization development process. The core connotation of rural development is advancing reform and innovation in urban and rural institutions and policies, breaking down the barriers of unequal and unreasonable systems and mechanisms between urban and rural dwellers and developing unified and equalized systems of rights and opportunities. The villagers’ sense of agency and pursuit of a better life have become the driving force and the most fundamental goal of rural development. There is a complex interrelationship between value guidance, institutional and policy reform and innovation, and villagers’ sense of agency and their pursuit of a better life. Only when the three join in a virtuous circle can rural development achieve marked progress and success. This logic of practice has laid the social, economic and cultural foundation for future rural revitalization and the era of post-moderately prosperous modernization.