Rivoluzioni Rurali. Villaggi Taobao tra Contro-Urbanizzazione, Reinvenzione e Infrastrutture Umane

The present article is the result of a doctoral research project that began in November 2022, aimed at investigating the forms and characteristics of Chinese urbanization processes occurring in rural areas. The research included extensive fieldwork in rural China, allowing direct engagement with various subjects through interviews. It was further enriched by a photographic survey and a review of literature from different backgrounds. The objective is to address various debates, especially concerning the infrastructural turn and rural geography, and to advocate for a more grounded approach that often gets overlooked due to excessive automation. The research uses the case study of Junpucun to offer an interesting case of “counter-urbanization” and to prove the capabilities of the "human infrastructure" to make space(s). The aim is also to propose a renowned reflection on the relationship between urbanism and ethnography by adopting a methodology that integrates socio-ethnographic readings (in the forms of interviews) with spatial analysis.