Integrating rurality into the Green and Beautiful Countryside planning: lessons from Zhuhai, China

At present, the rural revitalization drive faces issues such as the disconnection between the policy framework and rural realities, and the failure to coordinate multiple goals resulting in fragmented benefits. Green and Beautiful Countryside (GBC) represents an effective path for promoting rural revitalization. Taking the case of Zhuhai’s GBC initiatives, this paper emphasizes the necessity of embedding rurality into GBC construction based on strategic goals of the GBC model. Building on an analysis of the GBC concept, it identifies key contents of ‘Green Creation, Beauty Enhancement, Wealth Generation, and Education Development,’ A cognitive framework for a ‘Green and Beautiful Countryside’ coupling operational system has been established, guided by rural revitalization as the overarching principle, structured around the Ten Thousand Villages Project, and centered on rurality as the main focus.. Under this framework, the implementation status of land-based and island-based rural practices are examined, and practical pathways for realizing the GBC vision are proposed. Theoretically, by clarifying the interactive relationships among ‘rurality’, ‘green and beautiful villages’ and rural revitalization, this study deepens the theoretical paradigm of green and beautiful village construction. Practically, it provides a replicable path reference for Guangdong Province to implement rural revitalization initiatives.