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t An index system is constructed to measure the integration of environmental protection and high-quality economic development in different cities in China from 2006 to 2018, and to explore its evolution and driving forces. From the three dimensions of integration foundation, integration depth and integration performance, this paper adopts AHP-Entropy combined weighting method to build the integration index. In addition, this paper comprehensively uses exponential decomposition, comparative analysis and σ convergence and divergence analysis to explore the spatio-temporal differences and dynamic mechanisms. The results show that the overall integration level of China’s cities continues to improve, of which technological progress is the core driving force, the transformation of development mode is a crucial path, and the intensity of environmental governance is the key support. The evolution and driving forces of the integration level of first-tier cities, new first-tier cities and other cities are significantly different. Promoting integration level is a critical way for resourcebased cities to break the resource curse. Urban agglomeration integration led by the growth pole can effectively improve the overall regional integration level. This paper innovates that the relationship between environmental protection and high-quality economic development is discussed from the perspective of integration, and the paths to improve the integration level of resource-based cities and urban agglomerations are identified. This paper is helpful to clarify the differences in integration levels and driving forces of different cities, and provide a reference value for the precise implementation of high-quality development and “beautiful China.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the effects of the digital economy on highquality urban development and its mechanism. Theoretically, the digital economy can empower high-quality development by boosting entrepreneurial vitality. Empirically, the paper measures the overall level of the digital economy and high-quality development of the 222 Chinese cities at and above the prefecture level during 2011–2016, depicts the entrepreneurial vitality of the cities with the microscopic data of the business registration information and makes quantitative analysis on this basis. The result shows: Digital economy has remarkably improved high-quality development and this conclusion still exists after the robustness test selecting historical data as the instrumental variables and the Broadband China pilot policy as the quasi experiment. The analysis of the mechanism of action indicates that encouraging public entrepreneurship is an important mechanism of the digital economy to release the dividend of highquality development. Finally, thanks to the threshold model and the spatial model, it is found that the positive effect of the digital economy has the characteristics of nonlinear increment and spatial spillover of the “marginal effects.” The research of the paper stimulates the reasons for high-quality development and the understanding of the effects, mechanisms and regional differences of high-quality development empowered by the digital economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extreme weather caused by the global warming effect has triggered huge losses to agricultural production. A hot issue for governments and scholars is how to effectively reduce carbon emission intensity in agriculture. The agricultural farming practices that are high pollution and high energy cosuming have exacerbated the vulnerability of regional agroecosystems. The sustainable development of agriculture is faced with the two dilemmas of a low utilization rate of green resources and the serious pollution of farmland. Further, environmental and ecological carrying capacities have reached their limits, seriously hindering the high-quality development of low-carbon agriculture in China. Thus, based on the panel data of 282 cities, the Spatial Dubin Model (SDM) is employed to examine the impact of agricultural mechanization on carbon emission intensity in agriculture. It is found that from 1999 to 2019 carbon emission intensity in agriculture showed an overall downward trend; as of 2019, the agricultural field had completed the target of carbon emission reduction, one year ahead of schedule. From a local perspective, approximately 14.89% of agricultural industries in prefecture-level city have still not achieved carbon emission reduction targets, and agricultural carbon emission reduction tasks were better completed in major grain-producing areas than in nonmajor grain-producing areas. Agricultural mechanization has significantly reduced carbon emission intensity in local agriculture production. The impact of agricultural mechanization on carbon emission intensity in agriculture has not only a significant negative spatial spillover effect but also a significant effect on spatial carbon emission reduction. Compared with non-major grain-producing areas, agricultural mechanization plays a greater role in reducing spatial carbon emissions in major grain-producing areas. Further studies find that agricultural mechanization is conducive to overcome difficulties, such as instability of property rights and land fragmentation, and to achieve large-scale agricultural production, thereby reducing agricultural carbon emissions in nearby regions. However, the transfer of rural labor, adjustments to the structure of agricultural cultivation, and the centralized use of rural land restrict the development of the crossregional service market for agricultural machinery, which in turn weaken its contribution to spatial carbon emission reduction. At the end of this paper, it is suggested that Chinese governments at all levels should introduce subsidy policies for the cross-regional operation of agricultural machinery to solve the problem of their service market failure. Efforts should be made to stimulate the market to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly agricultural machinery products while strictly controlling changes in the use of arable land in non-grain-producing areas, which aims to serve further agricultural mechanization and boost the high-quality development of low-carbon agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how to realize the visionary goal of "basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035 and achieving more obvious and substantial progress in the common prosperity of all people," proposed by the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Based on the Marxist political economy, this paper focuses on the theoretical and practical issues of common prosperity. It then comprehensively elaborates on the profound connotation of common prosperity, the goals, the ways by which to achieve it, and the design of indicator system and assessment methods to be used. Looking ahead to the next years, it makes a medium- and long-term analysis and forecasts on the economic and social goals related to the development of common prosperity from 2021 to 2035, analyzes the opportunities and challenges involved in achieving common prosperity, proposes to continuously narrow the three major development gaps between regions, urban and rural areas, and residents' incomes, realizes the goal of equalizing basic public services, and finally offers a strategic path by which to achieve common prosperity over a series of steps and stages. The strategic path, major tasks, and key measures for achieving common prosperity in stages featured in the Chinese experience will provide the rest of the world with references by which to solve the challenges of wealth gaps for humankind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining research methods such as semantic analysis and Space-Time Cube, this paper proposes a "historic urban landscape--cognition--sentiment" analysis framework, covering aspects of heritage intrinsic value, urban functional value, and urban landscape value, and reveals the influencing mechanism of the characteristics of historic urban landscape (HUL) on public sentiments and the spatio-temporal differentiation patterns through the case study of the Shaoxing ancient city in China. The research findings include that different HUL characteristics had differentiated effects on public sentiments, and the effect of a same HUL characteristic on public sentiments varied between weekdays and weekends/holidays, and among different HULs. On weekends/holidays, public sentiments were more influenced by the intrinsic value factors of HUL (e.g., heritage level, heritage age), whereas on weekdays, they were more affected by urban functional value factors, and urban landscape value factors played a greater role in arousing people's positive sentiments. This study aims to provide scientific references for enhancing public perception and emotional experience in urban spaces and for identifying potential spatial improvement opportunities in historic cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discussion of common prosperity in this paper revolves around the following two aspects. First, the promotion of common prosperity requires a solid material foundation; solving poverty as measured by the absolute income standard serves as the basic requirement of becoming rich; the future rural relative poverty is a common problem and challenge that most of China's provinces are facing; and increasing farmers' income is a problem that must be solved within the framework of integrated urban-rural development. Second, narrowing the income gap is one of the essential requirements of common prosperity; narrowing the income gap to a certain level and achieving the unity of the development and sharing and the harmony of efficiency and fairness constitute the essential component of "common"; and the current urban-rural absolute income gap in China remains large, which violates the concept of shared development, is not conducive to sharing the achievements of economic development by the people as a whole, inhibits economic growth, and hinders the construction of a new development paradigm. Therefore, firmly grasping the mainline of integrated urban-rural development, strengthening overall planning and top-level design, and compensating for the institutional disadvantages of the dual division of urban and rural areas should be the main strategic focuses for promoting common prosperity in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new window of opening up to the outside world in the new era, the establishment of Free Trade Zones (FTZs) in China is an important national strategy for promoting high-quality economic development wherein the prevention and control of pollution is an important hurdle to be surmounted throughout the process. Based on data taken from model cities for environmental protection in China from 2008 to 2017, given the effect of policy spillover, this study considers the establishment of FTZs to be a "quasinatural experiment." It uses the general analysis paradigm of spatial difference-indifference (DID) to systematically examine the impact of FTZs on air pollution as well as to conduct an in-depth analysis of their spatial heterogeneity and mechanism of action. The study shows that the establishment of FTZs significantly reduces the concentration of air pollutants in cities. If the spatial DID method is adopted to measure the policy spillover effect of the establishment of free trade zones, urban air pollutants declines by 12% to 17%, while the estimated result using the traditional DID method is only 7%. The establishment of FTZs significantly alleviates air pollution in neighboring non-pilot cities as well. Based on the range of the spillover effect from the center of the FTZ, it is found that the average spatial spillover effect presents as an inverted "U" curve as the research radius increases, with an optimal policy spillover effect radius of about 200km, while the policy spillover effect between pilot cities remains poor. The establishment of an FTZ not only improves the local atmospheric environment by promoting industrial structure optimization and green technology innovation in pilot cities but also generates a spillover effect on neighboring non-pilot cities through the same mechanism, thus contributing to improving the atmospheric environment in those non-pilot cities. These findings remain valid following a series of robustness tests such as the spatial parallel trend test and the placebo test. This study offers an answer to the key question of whether free trade zone policy can truly promote high-quality economic development in the new era. It provides useful policy insights for further expanding opening up, winning the battle for the prevention and control of pollution, and promoting the high-quality development of China's economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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One of the major adaptation mechanisms to climate change is increased demand for cooling via the air conditioning of indoor environments. China's demand for air conditioners has displayed explosive growth since 1995. This paper provides estimates of the income and short run weather sensitivity of air conditioner adoption across urban areas for 29 Chinese provincial entities. We show that the adoption decision displays significant income and weather sensitivity in the short run, with adoption being higher the year following a hot summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a highly urbanized bay area bustling with socio-economic activities, Shenzhen Bay is a pivotal stopover and wintering habitat for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The Futian Mangrove National Important Wetland, located in the northeast of Shenzhen bay, is a part of the Guangdong Neilingding--Futian National Nature Reserve. As the smallest national nature reserve in China, the wintering habitat of migratory birds has been significantly impacted by the compacted surrounding built-up environment. It has become an urgent need for refined high-quality ecological restoration for the habitats. This project leveraged Nature-based Solutions to develop a refined model for the ecological restoration of coastal wetland waterbird habitats in compact urban areas. By analyzing waterbird behaviors and habitat requirements, this model outlined six strategies: water surface expansion, water level control, hydrodynamic conditions improvement, shoal transformation, adaptive vegetation management, and disturbance control. To effectively guide the restoration implementation, high-, medium-, and low-adaptive approaches were proposed accordingly. After restoration in 2022, notable increases in target species, such as Platalea minor, were observed. The variety of waterbirds of the reserve in 2022 increased by 33% compared with 2021, while increased by 50.9% compared with 2016, significantly enhancing ecosystem services of the coastal area. As urban renewal in China is shifting towards spatial redevelopment, this model offers valuable insights for ecological restoration aiming at coastal wetland waterbird conservation across the country, and substantially supports establishing the "International Mangrove Center" in Shenzhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great necessity to observe Lu Xun from the human-geographical or cultural geographical perspective. Even the couple of corresponding case studies are able to reveal the whole picture. The "memes" of Lu Xun existed in the tie of Lu Xun with Shaanxi province, in the existential and imaginary relationships between him and the two cities of "An" (Xi'an and Yan'an), in Lu Xun studies conducted by Shaanxi's academic community, and in a variety of cultural events and phenomena such as Shaanxi writers' publications, as well as conferences and calligraphy activities in Shaanxi, are hinting from the indirect aspects at the profound impacts of Lu Xun over the modern and contemporary culture in China. The transmission, reception and transformation of Lu Xun in Shaanxi during various historical stages also indicate the changes occurring to political ideology, aesthetic judgment, values and academic paradigms. To discuss Lu Xun's "memes" in the regional culture of Shaanxi, which closely combines the region in the physical sense of cultural geography and Lu Xun study, is an important component of Lu Xun studies, as well as an effective path to delve into the research on the ties of Lu Xun with China, or even with the world, for the further attempt to comprehensively understand the significance and value of Lu Xun to the new culture in China, as well as to the modern and contemporary culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]