現代中国における都市化と農村開発の交錯

──「城中村」における地域ブランド戦略に着目して──

抄録

　Geographical Indications (GIs) and the branding of agricultural products have received constant attention in the agriculture sector in recent years, and the benefits and drawbacks of GIs along with their impact on agricultural workers, rural communities, and the food supply chain have been discussed in a specific rural or urban context in previous studies. This study discusses GI’s effect on local communities in China’s suburban areas, with a more noticeable shift in urban-rural relationships. This study investigates the branding strategy impact of Xinhui Chenpi, a GI-designated agricultural product, on the neighboring four village communities in South China. The study found that a substantial portion of farmland in two villages was urbanized by expropriation, despite producing high-value Chenpi. Contrastingly, in the other two villages with a relatively short history of citrus cultivation, Chenpi production has become a “sixth industry” and even enhanced the preservation of agriculture and rural landscapes. From the inter-regional comparison perspective, this study illustrates that (1) “agricultural product branding” and “regional branding” are related but distinct, and (2) regional differentiation in rural China results from the conflict between the current local fiscal system and rural development policies. Despite peculiarities, GIs and the regional branding strategy could be considered beneficial tools for rural development in an era of rapid urbanization in contemporary China.