Changes of rural area in the outer urban fringe of beijing city, china : a case study of zhangge village

In this paper, the author tried to analyze the process of rural area changes in the outer urban fringe of Beijing City and made clear conditions of changes after the policy of economic reform and opening to outside world in China since 1978. Based on field survey analysis of changes of Zhangge Village, the author shows that changes of rural area in Beijing City were divided into three periods after reform and opening: the period of people\u27s communes (before 1984), the period of reform and opening (1984-1989). the period of socialistic market economy (after 1990). The productivity of agriculture has been increased in Zhangge Village, where socioeconomic system has been changed from "collective agricultural production system" to "agricultural production responsibility system" after the people\u27s commune was disintegrated. However, there has brought about some new problems in land use and construction on farmland and widening gaps between rich and poor families. Nevertheless, such problems have been solved since a new cooperative agricultural production mode has been introduced. Through survey to Zhangge Village, changes of land use and agricultural management and rural organization are due to changes of state policies benefit to a liberal circumstance for peasants in the urban fringe of Beijing City after the reform and opening. Meanwhile, there are also influences of external factors as industrialization and urbanization interacted with internal factors such as agro-technical advance and changes of peasants life styles