Research on the Urban Adaptation of Landless Peasants during the Construction of New Urban Districts—A Case Study of Zhanghe New District in Jingmen City, Hubei Province, China

摘要

In China, the construction of new urban districts has now become the main route to urbanisation. The construction of new urban districts, mainly through the expropriation of rural land, has created many landless peasants in the process. This study aims to investigate the real situation of urban adaptation of landless peasants due to the construction of new urban districts. This is followed by a further indepth analysis of the reasons affecting the adaptation of landless peasants to the city, and some targeted policy or institutional recommendations. Most of the current studies have focused on the macro level and lack the micro level of the individual landless peasants. And the research methods are only quantitative or only qualitative. Therefore, this study introduces the concept of “self-identity” and focuses on the individual feelings of landless peasants. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to conduct the study. The study found that, in terms of the economy, peasants face difficulties in finding employment, low income and increased expenses in the new urban districts. Although social security benefits have improved, they are still lower than those of urban residents. Socially, peasants’ social networks are limited, and their daily activities are not rich. As a result, self-identity is blurred, and inter-generational differences emerge.