Abstract:

As China enters a new stage of rural transformation, rural production space is changing from household-based fragmented land management to moderate-scale land management of various forms. New conflicts due to the spatial competition of multiple stakeholders in the rural area and disordered spatial allocation of rural production resources have arisen. By introducing system theory thinking into the study of rural production space, this research puts forward the concept of rural production space system. Inspired by a series of theories and concepts, including the space concept in geography, behavior space and spatial behavior, the theory of "production of space," and the thoughts of regional system of human-land relation, this study traced the theoretical origin of rural production space system and proposed its core connotation. Following the logic of conceptual development to operation and regulation, this study proposed four basic problem domains of rural production space system, including its theoretical analysis, mechanism of change, mechanism of formation, and optimization and regulation. After briefly outlining a research framework of rural production space system, this article prospects three important objects of future research. We need to understand the essential factors that rural production space system consists of, as well as the definition of their relationships; focus on the mechanism of interactions between "human" and "land"; and pay close attention to the behavioral aspect of human-land relationship. Also, we should explore the use of new approaches that are multidisciplinary and integrate multiple methods. On these bases, this study aimed at providing a theoretical basis for the research of sustainable development of rural production space, expanding from basic research to practical applications.

Key words: human-land relationship, rural production space system, ideologial origin, research framework, rural geography