Place identity through spatial reproduction in the context of global culture in rural China: generational differences in livelihood capital

Global culture has increasingly shaped rural local place identities, generating significant impacts on spatial dynamics. This influence has sparked debates over whether it creates new opportunities or erodes traditional culture. However, China’s capital-driven rural policies frequently neglect the cultural and social roles of space, prioritizing economic outcomes instead, which undermines their potential to sustain local cultural identity and cohesion. This study adopts a neo-endogenous development perspective to examine the spatial production of exogenous cultural capital, such as arts and cultural activities, in rural China, and its embeddedness in shaping endogenous cultural identity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is employed for empirical analysis in Yiheyuan Community, Shandong, to validate the proposed impact pathways. The findings indicate that global cultural capital impacts local cultural identity indirectly through spatial restructuring and power redistribution. Within this process, conceived space acts as a pivotal intermediary, influencing transformations in both lived and perceived spaces. These changes cascade into power redistribution, shaping livelihoods and empowerment, which ultimately strengthen cultural identity. Specifically, livelihood improvements play a key mediating role, not only directly enhancing cultural identity but also contributing to local empowerment. Younger generations particularly benefit from these livelihood improvements, while older generations are more influenced by transformations in lived space. Thus, if the diverse needs of different generations, particularly regarding livelihood improvements, empowerment, and social network support, are not effectively addressed, achieving sustainable rural revitalization and cohesive cultural identity will be challenging. This study advances neo-endogenous development theory by incorporating a spatial perspective, revealing the complex pathways through which global cultural capital influences local identity. It also provides targeted policy recommendations to promote culturally sensitive and sustainable rural revitalization.