Documented Governance Configurations for Proximity-Based Public Cultural Services in Zhejiang, China

Proximity policies specify where services should be reachable, but documented service design does not establish sustained operation. This study compares the policy and governance configurations presented for public cultural services in Jiaxing and Lishui, Zhejiang, China. Operational stability is defined as an observed condition of recurrent provision over a specified period; enabling capacity, coordination processes, adaptation, and resilience are distinguished from this outcome. The core analysis uses 14 legal, policy, planning, evaluation, and secondary documents, supplemented by official statistics for contextual comparison. Jiaxing’s implementation rule emphasizes a municipal “10-min” standard, a “1 + 3” space configuration, recurring activity requirements, volunteering, and monitoring. Lishui’s plans and reports emphasize multi-tier facilities, shared village spaces, proposed mobile and digital delivery, local operators, cultural stewards, and village-produced events. These are documented arrangements intended to support provision, rather than verified explanations of stability. Lishui’s adopted plan also acknowledges low rural-space utilization, showing that reported construction and admitted operating shortfalls can coexist. The comparison identifies contrasting design emphases under a shared provincial framework. It generates propositions about coordination, resource sharing, participation, and feedback that require longitudinal operating records and user and non-user evidence. It does not establish that settlement context causes a particular configuration or that either configuration produces stable, inclusive cultural services.