To reveal the spatial differentiation characteristics of rural multifunctionality in Chinese county areas and quantitatively identify the influencing factors of spatial differentiation of rural multifunctionality, this study comprehensively evaluated rural multifunctionality at the county level in China from 2000 to 2015 by constructing an evaluation index system, using entropy weight method, semi-variance function, and geodetector method. The main results are as follows: 1) The spatial distribution of rural multifunctionality was uneven. High-value regions of rural multifunctionality were concentrated in the plain areas and the eastern coasts of China. Low-value regions were concentrated on the plateaus and in the mountain regions. Rural multifunctionality presents a gradual upward temporal trend as a whole. 2) The contribution rate of economic development function and social security function to rural multifunctionality gradually increased, and the contribution rate of agricultural production function and ecological conservation function to rural multifunctionality gradually decreased. 3) From 2000 to 2015, the range and intensity of spatial auto-correlation of rural multifunctionality gradually decreased at the county level in China. Random factors became the driving forces of spatial differentiation of rural multifunctionality. 4) Economic development and fiscal revenue of counties were the main factors that affect the spatial differentiation of rural multifunctionality. The interaction of different influencing factors enhanced the spatial differentiation of rural multifunctionality. The degree of influence of social factors was gradually rising and the degree of influence of natural factors was gradually decreasing over time.

Under the background of urban-rural transformation and development, transformation of agricultural production has become an important entry point for the analysis of the change of rural human-environment relationship in China. Identifying the types of agricultural production transformation in traditional farming areas and key problems will provide a reference for regulating agricultural production policies and improving rural development strategies. This study started with dividing the types of agricultural production transformation in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (HHH), and then systematically analyzed the dilemmas faced by different agricultural production transformation types and solutions to the associated problems. The study found that: 1) The multi-scale analysis method combining "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches is an effective means to analyze the differences in the transformation type of agricultural production. 2) From the perspective of spatial resilience, the types of agricultural production transformation in the HHH can be divided into traditional farming-oriented transformation type, modern market-oriented transformation type, and suburban leisure-oriented transformation type. 3) In the traditional farming-oriented transformation areas the imbalance of land use transition and rural labor force transformation, lack of core industrial support, and low actual urbanization rate are key issues that limit the orderly transformation of the rural areas. 4) The lagging land management system and inefficient organization of farmers in the modern market-oriented transformation areas are the problems that need to be solved at present. 5) Improving the market participation mode and reducing the capital risk of farmers in the suburban leisure-oriented transformation areas are the significant issues that must be considered. 6) In response to the different problems in the various types of agricultural production transformation areas, it is important to promote the implementation of the revitalization planning based on local conditions and scientific strategies.

China's rural revitalization strategy is a long-term strategic deployment for agricultural and rural modernization by 2050. Given the differences of villages and the divergence of their development trends, it is important to identify village types scientifically and clarify their development directions in order to make sound rural revitalization plans and take differential measures. The village scale is a basic scale for implementing rural revitalization. However, limited by the lack of micro-scale statistical data and basic information, it is urgent to build a scientific, simple, and usable methodological framework for identifying village types. This study integrated geographic data and rural land use data to construct a village type identification system. Then natural factors, revitalize potential, development situation, and resource endowment were examined in turn to identify village types of Zhangzi County, Shanxi Province. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) Natural factors limit the basic pattern and direction of change of villages, location determines the development potential and transformation capability, and both play a decisive role in the evolution and revitalization of villages. 2) From the perspective of farmers, whether the location efficiency of a village is compatible to farmers' production and living needs and livelihood style determines whether a change takes place in the location of residence of farmers, and this trend can be reflected by idle and abandoned homesteads. 3) The villages of Zhangzi County can be divided into five types, including urban-suburban integration, agglomeration for improvement, traditional agricultural, protection due to special characteristics, and relocation and merging types. Combining with different modes of rural revitalization, corresponding development paths are proposed accordingly to provide a theoretical basis and decision references for differentiated rural revitalization strategies.

China's agricultural development is facing the challenges of sustainable development, changing consumer demands, and globalization. More attention should be paid to the spatial patterns, territorial types, and optimization strategies of multiple agriculture functions. This study briefly reviewed the development of multifunctional agriculture and discussed the theoretical basis of the spatiotemporal differentiation of agriculture multifunctions, and studied the territorial types and optimization strategies of agriculture multifunctions at the county level in Jilin Province by using cluster analysis method and so on. The results demonstrate that: 1) Agriculture multifunctions have the characteristics of joint production and externality. Endowment of agricultural resources, socioeconomic development stages, and their interactions play key roles in the spatiotemporal differentiation of agriculture multifunctions. 2) The spatial differentiations of agriculture functions at the county level in Jilin Province present different characteristics— the high values of agricultural products supply function are mainly distributed in the Songhua River-Liao River Plain; the high values of economic development function are located in counties with strong featured agriculture; the high values of social security function are distributed in highly urbanized counties with high per capita agricultural output value; and the high values of ecological service function are located in counties that have a large proportion of forest, grassland, and water areas. 3) Agriculture multifunctions at the county level in Jilin Province can be divided into four types: agricultural products supply dominated, multiple functions balanced, non-ecological functions disadvantaged, and ecological service dominated. 4) Different territorial types of agriculture multifunctions have different combinations of multiple agriculture functions and development backgrounds, and targeted development strategies for them should be implemented.