The Mechanism of Action and Typical Models of New Quality Productivity Empowering Rural Revitalization: Based on a Systematic Analysis Framework of “Element–Structure–Function”

Abstract

To comprehensively promote its rural revitalization, it is an important task for China to accelerate the formation of new quality productivity. Beginning with the three dimensions of elements, structure, and function, this study analyzes the logical relationship between new quality productivity and rural revitalization, constructs an analytical framework of “element–structure–function”, clarifies the mechanism of action of new quality productivity enabling rural revitalization, and categorizes four refined typical rural revitalization models. The study finds that: ① new quality productivity promotes rural revitalization by building a platform for factor flow to form rural value, guiding the optimal allocation of factors to reshape rural value, and driving the coupling of multiple functions to promote the co-creating and sharing of rural value; ② according to the degree of achievement of rural revitalization and the scope of empowerment of new quality productivity, the rural revitalization models are divided into four types, respectively, the rural project model, the new quality productivity exploration model, the traditional industry dominated model, and the rural system reconstruction model. Since rural development still faces uncertainty and complexity in the future, the new quality productivity is not only an important action which can be selected to drive the rural revitalization strategy but also a significant driving force for rural areas to maintain their normal operation and orderly development in uncertain situations.

1. Introduction

Rural decline is a major challenge faced globally [1]. For China, the results of the seventh national population census show that compared with the sixth national population census in 2010, the urban population increased by 236 million, while the rural population decreased by 164 million, indicating a declining trend in the rural population size [2], which has led to the phenomenon of hollow villages during the rapid urbanization process [3]. At the same time, there are still 30.46 million poor people in rural China who need to be lifted out of poverty. Therefore, rural revitalization is not only an economic issue but also a social proposition related to China’s modernization drive [4]. That is why the Chinese government has made major strategic decisions regarding rural revitalization. In September 2023, during an inspection in Heilongjiang, Xi Jinping proposed to “integrate scientific and technological innovation resources, lead the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerate the formation of new quality productivity” [5]. In January 2024, Xi Jinping emphasized that “developing new quality productivity is an inherent requirement and an important origin of force for promoting high-quality development” [6]. Published in January 2025, the Overall Rural Revitalization Plan of China (2024–2027) proposes to “strengthen the support of agricultural science, technology and equipment”. Therefore, during the implementation of rural revitalization, new quality productivity, as a form of productivity with scientific and technological innovation at its core and characterized by digitalization, networking, intelligence, and green development, can be applied in rural areas so as to help the transformation of rural development from traditional productivity to new-type productivity, activate the production efficiency of all factors, promote the high-quality development of rural construction, and thus realize the strategic goal of comprehensive rural revitalization.

Scholars have studied the mechanisms of new quality productivity driving rural revitalization from multiple perspectives and achieved certain results. European Union commissioners put forward the concept of smart villages, believing that smart villages are an innovative combination of a village’s own advantageous resources and digital–intelligent technologies, with network services able to increase the income of villagers and rural enterprises [7]. Some countries have already started to introduce digital–intelligent technologies into rural construction [8]. Aiming to address the urban–rural digital divide and rural population outflow, in 2001, South Korea launched the Information Network Village Project, in which the training content included network access, digital training, telemedicine, and digital content. By training rural workers to increase their skills and based on infrastructure construction, rural incomes were increased [9]. In 2015, India launched the Smart Village Program, in which the construction of fiber-optic networks increased the penetration rate of the Internet in rural areas [10]. In 2017, the European Union launched the smart villages movement, which specifically includes 16 plans such as the sustainable development of residents’ livelihoods, rural industries, and public services, aiming to revitalize rural areas by accelerating rural development through digitalization and improving the quality of life of those living in rural areas [11,12,13]. In 2019, an international workshop was held in Poland, aiming to focus on the practices in small villages and face up to the key challenges there [14]. In 2021, the European Commission released the document “A long-term vision for EU rural areas to become stronger, better-connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040”, stating that “smart villages are seen as the foundation of community-based local development” [15]. Stojanova et al. (2021) analyzed the digital rural construction policies of six European Union countries and found that digital rural construction aims to solve problems such as rural population decline, population aging, climate change, economic development, infrastructure and services, digital transformation, and narrowing the gap between rural and urban areas [16].

Chinese scholars believe that the application of digital agriculture and agricultural online resources in China is still in its initial stage [17]. If the progress of agricultural technology cannot be accelerated, it will be difficult not only to truly break through the production capacity bottleneck and income problems, but also to achieve the strategic goals of rural revitalization. Therefore, only by taking technology as the engine can high-quality rural development be achieved [18]. Liu Zuyun believes that technology is a key variable in promoting rural revitalization, and technology empowerment is a necessary selection to bridge the technology gap between rural and urban areas and promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas. The superposition, amplification, and multiplication effects of digital technology shape the development landscape of rural society through its introduction, layout, and diffusion in rural areas [19]. Hou Guanyu believes that new quality productivity promotes the transformation of agricultural development from traditional scale-driven means to being technology-driven, thus realizing the deep integration of urban and rural areas and promoting the coordinated development of agricultural modernization and urbanization through cutting-edge digital and intelligent technologies [20]. Gong Zheng believes that new quality productivity can drive agricultural production to go into the Agriculture 4.0 era, which is supported by digital and intelligent technologies and covers all factors, all chains, all industries, and all regions, presenting features such as high-end core technologies, unmanned production management, and the optimization of the agricultural industry chain, thus promoting the sustainable development of rural industries [21]. Lian Hongping believes that new quality productivity helps rural areas to further explore characteristic production factors, improve agricultural production efficiency, optimize rural industrial forms, and better the rural governance system [22]. Chen Jian believes that new quality productivity can promote the innovation of traditional rural production, transaction, and financing methods by integrating new-type laborers, new-type means of labor, new-type objects of labor, and their combinations to realize characteristics such as mechanized rural production, scientific production technology, and intensive growth patterns, thereby promoting rural revitalization [23]. Wang Jinghua believes that new quality productivity is the main supporting force for achieving a strong agriculture, a beautiful countryside, and wealthy rural workers. Driven by scientific and technological innovation, it optimally allocates technology, laborers, and objects of labor to achieve goals such as the modern upgrade of rural industries, low-carbon and green rural development, and increases rural workers’ income [24]. Li Mingyuan believes that new quality productivity is a new type of productivity with digital and intelligent characteristics. By embedding modern information technology and data analysis capabilities into all links and stages of rural development, it is able to stimulate a qualitative leap in rural productivity and promotes high-quality rural development [25].

Thus, it can be seen that the theory and practice of innovation-driven development in science and technology have always been embedded in the history of rural development globally and have continuously evolved with the historical process. Among them, academic research on the empowerment of rural revitalization by new quality productivity is still in its infancy and there are still many issues to be explored in depth at both the theoretical and practical levels. The study of the empowerment mechanism of new quality productivity is in line with China’s innovation-driven development strategy and also provides a research perspective for the new endogenous development of rural revitalization. Based on this, this paper is set against the background of China’s comprehensive promotion of the rural revitalization strategy. At the theoretical level, it constructs an “element–structure–function” analytical framework, explains the mechanism of action between new quality productivity and rural revitalization, summarizes the typical models of new quality productivity empowering rural revitalization, and looks ahead to the key areas for future rural revitalization research with the hope of providing useful reference for the comprehensive promotion of the rural revitalization strategy globally.

2. “Element Structure Function” Analytical Framework

In a system, the three factors of elements, structures, and functions are all included, among which elements serve as the foundation of the system. Elements are interconnected and combined to form structure. Structure determines function, and function reflects the overall characteristics of the system. The synergistic interaction of these three factors constitutes the essential features of a system. The countryside is a complex system composed of multiple subsystems such as the natural, social, economic, ecological, cultural, and social subsystems. Relationships are there between the system theory and rural revitalization in terms of theoretical paradigms and specific applications. From the perspective of system theory, a system can be deconstructed from three dimensions, respectively, elements, structures, and functions [26,27]. The rural elements, including elements such as “people, finance, industries, land, and technology”, are the foundation of rural development, and they directly determine the main direction of rural development. The element structure is not only a bridge that establishes the relationship between elements and functions, but also the driving force for rural development. According to the needs of rural development, different elements integrate, adapt, and transform with each other, and continuously deepen the structural agglomeration effect, forming an element structure suitable for the rural environment. The functional manifestation is the ultimate goal of rural development and the practical expression of rural value. It reflects the general requirements of “prosperous industries, livable ecology, civilized rural customs, effective governance, and affluent lives”, and is also the key to promoting China’s modernization drive.

New quality productivity, as an advanced form of productivity, emerges during the start of a new round of a scientific and technological revolution and in the stage of the rapid evolution of production factors and industrial transformation. Its connotation lies in the high-quality innovative combination of laborers, means of labor, and objects of labor, with the core symbol being a significant increase in total factor productivity [2]. In the era of industrial civilization, traditional productivity is mainly characterized by mechanical power, standardized production, and large-scale production. In contrast, new quality productivity is mainly characterized by digital and intelligent technologies and innovative production. It utilizes new technologies and the labor force to unleash multiple functional effects in rural areas, achieving goals such as the construction of a modern rural industrial system [28], the improvement of new-type infrastructure [29], the coordinated development of urban and rural areas [30], the green and low-carbon transformation of rural areas [31], and the continuous improvement of rural social equity [32]. It can be analyzed from three dimensions, respectively, the element system, structural configuration, and functional enhancement. Firstly, new quality productivity expands the boundaries of the rural element system. For example, the development of new technologies such as quantum information and network technology has made data an important production factor, driving the transformation of agriculture from extensive production to precision production. Secondly, new quality productivity updates the rural element allocation structure. For instance, through the cognition and skills of new-type laborers, new quality productivity is combined with traditional industries or ecological resources to give birth to a new industrial system. The coordinated development of high-end manufacturing, information service industries, ecological industries, and modern agriculture will become an important direction for the innovation and development of rural industries in China [33]. Finally, new quality productivity extends rural functions. China’s basic national conditions and agricultural situation determine the development direction of rural areas empowered by new quality productivity. Functions such as enhancing agricultural production capacity, cultivating new rural production formats, and increasing agricultural production income are all aimed at promoting high-quality rural development. Of course, rural revitalization also provides a practical carrier for new quality productivity. The two are like a pair of interacting twins, as shown in Figure 1.

3. The Mechanism of Action of New Quality Productivity Empowering Rural Revitalization

The general requirements for rural revitalization, namely “thriving industries, pleasant ecological environment, civilized local customs, effective governance, and prosperous lives”, correspond to rural values such as production value, ecological value, cultural value, social value, and life value [4]. The logic of new quality productivity empowering rural revitalization is as follows: Firstly, expand the element system and build a mobility platform. New quality productivity vertically expands the traditional elements of “human, capital, industry, land, and technology” to “human, capital, industry, land, technology, and data”. Meanwhile, a platform for element mobility is built to effectively collect, evaluate, and plan relevant information such as supply–demand situations, guarantee levels, and element innovation, so as to ensure the stable supply of elements and promote the formation of rural values. Secondly, optimize the element structure. New quality productivity can be embedded within the element structure to provide technical services such as information search, transmission, statistics, and registration for the innovative allocation of elements so as to promote the structural upgrading of rural “four new” (new technologies, new business forms, new models, and new industries) and advance the equivalent development of urban and rural areas [34] and reshape rural values. Finally, promote collaborative governance among departments. Multi-department and multi-subject collaborative governance can be driven through a networked approach by taking new quality productivity as the innovation driving force so as to break down information communication barriers and jointly promote the iterative leap of rural development capabilities, show the new development concept and the requirements of high-quality development, and thus realize the co-creation and sharing of rural values (Figure 2). New quality productivity aims to achieve the goals of “ensuring the stable supply of factors, optimizing the industrial structure in rural areas and promoting the functional upgrading of rural areas” through the paths of “innovation in factor fields, service contents and governance concepts”, so as to meet the overall requirements of rural revitalization.

3.1. New Quality Productivity Guides the Formation of Rural Values by Stabilizing the Flow of Elements

In the flow of rural elements, elements mainly refer to “people, finance, industries, land, and technology” that break through the urban–rural geographical constraints to achieve two-way flow and interaction with each other to form an agglomeration effect. This is centrally reflected in multiple entities including government departments, social organizations, enterprises, scientific and technological institutions, and talented individuals. Through means such as policy inclination, capital input, talent influx, technology empowerment, and social entrepreneurship, various elements are introduced into rural areas. These input elements, as the core components for developing rural characteristic industries, enhancing the endogenous driving force of rural development, and improving the quality of rural life, are an important foundation for the formation of rural value. With the advent of the era of new quality productivity, new elements and their flow paths have emerged in various fields of rural production, life, ecology, society, and culture (as in

Table 1. New elements and their flow paths in rural development process.

Fields	New Elements	Flow Paths	Cases
Production	Technology courtyards, digital–intelligent technologies, logistics systems, agricultural cooperatives, agricultural loans, agricultural subsidies, rural characteristic manufacturing enterprises	Financial online platforms, e-commerce platforms, policy inclination, agricultural technology training, village collective organizations	Live-streaming for promoting agricultural products mode [35], Yuhang Honey Pear Science and Technology courtyard in Zhejiang Province [36], CD Finance [37]
Life	Healthcare and wellness institutions, elderly care services, medical institutions, rural psychological counseling, infrastructure construction	Policy preferences, national financial subsidies, national development plans, social or individual purchases, relocation to other places	The “Happiness Home” operated by suning yiyuan planting farmers’ professional cooperative in Hebei province [38], China’s digital infrastructure [39],
Ecology	Eco-tourism, rural homestays, rural complex, education and research activities, ecological technologies	Social capital investment, commercial operation, development of eco-tourism products, education and publicity	Zhejiang homestays [40], Yuexiu national rural complex in Guangzhou [41]
Culture	Online courses, traditional cultural creativity, digital culture, cloud platforms, cultural facilities, cultural activities, cultural production techniques	Cultural activities in rural areas by art troupes, cultural funds for the arts, rural cultural festivals, individual or rural IPs, the construction of rural cultural teams	Pottery village [42], MOOC platform for cultivation of professional farmers [43], TV programs on rural revitalization [44]
Society	Entrepreneurial youths, technical backbones, artistic pioneers, capable and virtuous people, university teams	Social entrepreneurship, rural revitalization research activities	E-agriculture program [45], rural e-commerce sites in Wushan county [46]

).

New quality productivity identifies the new characteristics of rural elements, facilitates the flow of elements, and reshapes the connotation of rural values. Specifically, it includes the following aspects: ① The influx of new technologies into the rural system can efficiently agglomerate virtual production technologies and physical production factors, organically connecting remote and dispersed production and living spaces to form a collaborative relationship, creating a new “spatially dispersed yet elementally integrated” situation, thus breaking through traditional geographical limitations. The countryside not only has the foundation to undertake certain modern industries but also meets people’s needs for a rural idyllic life, thus establishing a modern and suitable value judgment for rural areas. ② When new-type talents flow into the rural system, new technologies, cultures, concepts, and ways of thinking can be introduced. This breaks the original rural conventions and the traditional perceptions of villagers, constructs a new cognitive schema, and guides villagers to actively and deeply explore the values of the countryside. ③ Preserve the local characteristics of rural spaces. Thanks to new technologies, urban and rural elements can break through spatial restrictions and flow freely. This ensures that rural residents enjoy not only the same quality of life as urban residents but also the low-density architecture and the beautiful landscape of green mountains and clear waters in rural areas. At the same time, in landscape design, modern production and living needs are integrated, with an emphasis on shaping a rural landscape featuring low-density architecture and high-quality ecological environment. In this way, it is guaranteed that rural areas possess not only regional resources in production, ecology, culture, etc., but also high-quality production and living and ecological spaces, thus truly achieving the equivalent integration of urban and rural areas while some differences still remain.

3.2. New Quality Productivity Promotes the Reshaping of Rural Values by Optimizing Factor Structures

It is the flow of elements that lays the core foundation for the formation of rural values. At the same time, it potentially promotes the multi-coupling of elements, forming a heterogeneous structural configuration mode of “people, finance, industries, land, and technology”, and the allocation is continuously optimized during the process of rational flow. From the perspective of resource allocation, the core requirement is to construct an element–structure configuration that follows the development direction of new quality productivity and improves total factor productivity. After the improvement of total factor productivity, elements will be attracted to flow and agglomerate in the field of new quality productivity, fully revealing and releasing the rural value that was originally hindered in transformation and then further stimulating the innovative development of productivity. Evidently, new quality productivity provides decision-making tools for element allocation, and effective decision-making in element allocation will also provide a powerful driving force for the development of new quality productivity. The synergy between the two prompts the transformation of rural development from a structural feature of single-agricultural production to a “four-new” structural feature [47].

The allocation of factor structures empowered by new quality productivity emphasizes cultivating ecological and cultural featured scenarios in rural areas based on open-style agricultural landscapes and ecosystems. A unique rural factor–structure system distinct from an urban one is thus formed via talent exchange, economic support, industrial integration, spatial balance, and technology aggregation. This enables the transformation of rural characteristic resources into rural development capital, forming a development model complementary and symbiotic with cities (Figure 3). Specifically, the following aspects are included:

The talent structure mainly consists of two parts. One is external talent. New quality productivity guides rural areas to establish new talent introduction mechanisms and management concepts, attracting high-quality talents in agricultural science and technology research and development, information technology, modern operation and management, etc., so as to provide continuous intellectual support for rural revitalization. The other is local talent. Statistical data from the seventh national population census show that the total number of people aged 25 and above in China is approximately 1.01 billion, with an average years of education of 9.46 years. However, the average years of education for people aged 25 and above in rural areas is 7.78 years, which is 1.68 years lower than the national average [2]. By leveraging the network platform, the traditional rural labor force are able to be linked with information both inside and outside rural areas, thus broadening their horizons and enhancing their cognition to break away from the single-dependent production mode which will rapidly grow into the main labor force for rural revitalization.

As to the economic structure, it mainly deals with two aspects: the government and the market. First, the government, centering around the capital needs of rural development, constructs a diversified investment and financing system and mechanism and improves the hierarchical and classified input system to ensure the stable growth of fiscal investment. Second, the market which explores the use of the right to use rural collective operating construction land, the property rights of rural people, the collective forest rights, and the management rights of contracted land as collateral for financing.

The industrial structure involves three combination modes: ① New quality productivity drives the combination of strategic emerging industries such as high-end manufacturing, new energy, and new materials with traditional rural industries, forming a modern rural industrial system and creating a pattern complementary with urban industries. ② New quality productivity promotes the deep integration of agriculture, industry, and the service industry. It realizes the integrated operation of agricultural production bases, agricultural product processing enterprises, and the production, processing, and sales of agricultural raw materials, as well as the multi-integration of agriculture, culture, tourism, and education. In this way, it breaks through the boundaries of traditional industries and brings new growth points to rural economic development. ③ New quality productivity innovates the rural industrial operation modes. Innovative rural industrial management models such as the “rural e-commerce + agricultural products”, “smart agriculture platform + planting industry” and “digital platform + traditional cultural industries” emerge, and they continuously improve the industrial service level.

Guided by the concept of equivalent urban–rural development, and via adopting new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and geographic information systems, the spatial structure has an accurate identification, evaluation, and classification of the multiple functions of territorial space. It clarifies that the main functions of rural space are based on the needs of agricultural production and green low-carbon development, and it makes the spatial functional structure, such as agricultural product supply, ecological barriers and regulations, cultural inheritance and recreation, social stability and population, clear. At the same time, the new productivity brings new technologies, methods, and tools for the development of territorial space. Through the centralized layout of complete settlement forms and the improvement of public service facilities, it effectively improves the living environment of villages, realizes the efficient agglomeration of rural space, and promotes the integrated development of urban and rural areas.

The technological structure refers to the combination of “old” and “new” technologies. The “old” technology mainly constitutes a technological system centered around machinery and information technology, while the “new” technology is a new-type technology system that combines digital and intelligent technologies with new-type infrastructure. It is normal for the “old” and “new” technologies to co-exist and intertwine with each other over a long period of time. Many traditional technologies have become a reserve force for new quality productivity through technological transformation and upgrading. The combination of technologies leads to the development of agricultural modernization via knowledge innovation, technological innovation, and product innovation.

3.3. New Quality Productivity Promotes the Co-Creating and Sharing of Rural Values by Coupling Multiple Functions

With the in-depth integrated development of urban and rural areas, the economic–geographical spatial relationship of urban–rural integration has changed. It has shifted from the previous emphasis on “geographical proximity” to an emphasis on “functional networks”, further strengthening the equivalent and linkage effects between rural and urban functions and highlighting multiple functions of rural areas such as talent cultivation, economic support, industrial upgrading, spatial balance, and technological innovation. New quality productivity adopts new technologies to enable rural areas to release multiple functional effects during the development process, including new quality agro-industry, new quality finance, new quality industries, new quality spaces, and new quality technologies, effectively promoting the equivalent development of urban and rural areas.

(1)

New quality farmhands and workers: cultivating new-type talents for rural development

In rural construction, the singularity and dependence of industries severely limits the improvement of rural workers’ production capabilities [48]. Data from the third national agricultural census shows that among various agricultural operators, those with a junior high school education or below account for 91.4%. Agricultural laborers with low digital skills may become a significant obstacle to the empowerment of new quality productivity. Therefore, on the one hand, new quality productivity builds learning and communication network platforms, reducing the time–space costs for rural residents to actively obtain information, learn knowledge, and master skills. It also facilitates the popularization of agricultural production information and knowledge, as well as professional skills training. On the other hand, the deep integration of new quality productivity with rural industries gives rise to new industrial operation modes and spawns not only new-type agricultural business entities (like family farms, workers’ cooperatives, and large-scale specialized households) but also new-type entities offering socialized services (such as production trusteeship, technical guidance, etc.). They are able to make full use of modern agricultural technologies to adapt to modern agricultural equipment and update their knowledge rapidly.

(2)

New quality finance: ensuring economic support for rural development

New quality productivity promotes the construction of a connection platform between financial institutions and rural collective economic organizations and explores mechanisms for risk-sharing and information-sharing between them. By leveraging technological means such as “AI + Internet + Big Data”, it accurately portrays the “credit profiles” of new-type agricultural business entities, innovates mortgage methods for land management rights, property rights of rural housing, and ecological resource assets, thus expanding the scope of financial support for agriculture. By utilizing data platforms, it simplifies and optimizes financing and guarantee procedures, improves the efficiency of financial support for agriculture, and provides economic guarantees for rural industries throughout the entire production and operation process.

(3)

New quality industries: boosting the industrial upgrading of rural revitalization

New quality productivity facilitates the establishment of a modern rural industrial system and empowers the transformation and upgrading of the “infrastructure-industrial chain-green, low-carbon circular system”. Firstly, it promotes the improvement of infrastructure and service systems in rural areas, providing basic conditions for the layout of new rural agriculture and key industries. Secondly, it drives the organic integration of traditional rural agriculture with new-type industries, modern service industries, and digital technologies, broadening the horizontal scope of rural industries in the industrial chain and creating new models such as “agriculture⁺ industry”, “integration of agriculture, culture and tourism as one” and “farming + AI”, so as to achieve the upgrading of the agricultural industry. At the same time, new quality productivity empowers the entire process and chain of rural industries. For example, in agricultural production, digital–intelligent technologies are integrated into agricultural production links such as scientific breeding, cultivated land quality monitoring, and agricultural product harvesting and processing, extending the vertical depth of the rural industrial chain. Thirdly, it creates a green and low-carbon production cycle system, efficiently gathering production factors and promoting the green transformation of rural industries of low costs and low energy consumption. For instance, smart agriculture can accurately allocate the ratio of water, soil, and fertilizer to make efficient use of and protect soil and water resources, and thus, promote the sustainable development of agriculture.

(4)

New quality space: modernization of rural spatial governance

From the perspective of rural spatial governance, new quality productivity provides technical support in aspects such as rural spatial resource surveys, planning, and control, with an aim to promote the construction of a multi-objective collaborative system for spatial protection, development, construction, utilization, and management of high standards, high efficiency, high quality, and high resilience [49,50,51].

Firstly, new quality productivity improves the spatio-temporal resolution of data acquisition, enhances the computational power for data integration, and strengthens the analytical ability through remote sensing and geographical information methods. It is able to form a data-driven scenario simulation and create a “single map” of rural space. Secondly, new quality productivity introduces efficient spatial development technologies, methods and tools, collects comprehensive and timely high-quality spatial information resources, and provides a decision-making basis for improving spatial utilization efficiency. Thirdly, new quality productivity constructs a technical platform for the identification, collection, expression, and analysis of spatio-temporal information, systematically and accurately grasping the flow trends and patterns of various rural spatial elements. Finally, new quality productivity can adjust the combination of laborers, means of labor, and objects of labor, which are internal elements in rural space, by applying new technologies such as artificial intelligence. It optimizes the ways, tools, and technologies of human–land interaction, expands the application scenarios of artificial intelligence large-model technology, and enables highly intelligent rural space management.

(5)

New quality technologies: facilitating the co-creation and sharing of rural values

Marxism holds that the ultimate goal of the value of productive forces is the free and all-around development of people and the common progress of human society. Therefore, as a new type of productive force in new quality productivity, the concept of productivity development featuring joint construction, creation, and sharing should be more actively practiced by everyone [52]. On the one hand, the in-depth integration of traditional rural industries and new quality productivity gives rise to the establishment of an information network platform that spans all aspects and the entire process of rural development and is oriented towards multiple entities such as the government, enterprises, research institutions, and rural workers. This platform encompasses element data aggregation, tool components, cutting-edge technologies, industry standards, etc. It provides a network platform for various entities to put forward ideas, release demands, and conduct industry exchanges, breaking down the barriers of industries, departments, and regions. Everyone can thus participate in rural production and construction. On the other hand, new quality productivity ensures that villagers can equally enjoy the “benefits” of rural development by improving digital infrastructure, strengthening the service functions of village collectives, and building rural development platforms. For example, network technology is used to connect scattered members of the village collective, who can receive information, express their emotions, and offer suggestions through the network platform, thus breaking the dependence on the inherent information channels. Internal members can then obtain and share information resources fairly and efficiently.

4. Typical Modes of New Quality Productivity Empowering Rural Revitalization

The mechanism of action of new quality productivity enabling rural revitalization shows that rural development should not only achieve the goal of urban–rural equivalence but also adapt to the development trend of new quality productivity. However, due to the differences in rural resource endowments, the degree of realization between rural development and new quality productivity varies in reality. Therefore, this study makes a classification of the rural revitalization models according to the degree of achievement of rural revitalization and the scope of empowerment of new quality productivity, and four types of models are classified (as in Figure 4). Among them, according to the list of typical rural governance cases recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China as well as existing research results, the rural project type is typically represented by the JD Farm Project [53,54], the traditional industry dominated type is typically represented by Xinzhou Village with “industry–village integration” [55], the new quality productivity exploration type is typically represented by the smart rural areas in Jinshan District [56,57], and the rural system reconstruction type is typically represented by Jinqu Town [58].

4.1. Rural Project Model: JD Farm Project

In many rural areas of China, agricultural products face problems such as backward planting techniques and poor sales channels. Therefore, efficient agricultural product production management and sales channels have become an urgent need for many villages. Jindong launched the JD Farm Project to jointly form a professional team with local governments and research institutions to be responsible for all aspects of the agricultural industry, such as planning, design, construction, and operation. Relying mainly on new technologies, it achieved precise fertilization, pesticide application, and scientific planting management in agricultural production, and strengthened the quality control of agricultural products. Being empowered by Jindong’s marketing, finance, big data, and its agricultural product brand, value is added to the products, directly generating sales of over one million yuan locally, thus enhancing the function of helping farmers increase their income. At the same time, the JD Farm Project adheres to providing original ecological and high-quality agricultural products, with the ultimate goal of solving the problems of left-behind children caused by the rural population migrating out and family poverty. In this way, the goal of the JD Farm Project in contributing to rural revitalization is achieved.

Although the JD Farm Project has solved the production and sales dilemmas of agricultural products, there has been no substantial improvement in rural infrastructure, villagers’ ability to apply digital and intelligent technologies, or their product sales capabilities. Therefore, the farm project is characterized by relatively few areas empowered by new quality productivity and a relatively low degree of achievement of the rural revitalization goals. This model is limited to solving a specific rural problem so the influence of new quality productivity is relatively small and it is difficult to fundamentally promote rural transformation and development by this type. Thus, this type of rural development is called the rural project model (Figure 5).

4.2. Traditional Industry Dominated Model: Xinzhou Village with “Integration of Industry and Village”

In 2000, the collective of Xinzhou Village in Shanghai and Hong Kong Guanyun Industrial Co., Ltd. established the Shanghai Guanhua Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd. As a village-collective enterprise, Guanhua Group has the following characteristics: ① It fully relies on local resources of “human, financial and land”. Guanhua Group expands factory buildings and renovates dormitories by using the collective land of the village, organically integrating the industrial production space and the living space of employees with the three-dimensional (production, living, and ecological) space of the village. The talents of Guanhua Group are mainly local villagers. The general manager, chairman, and Party branch secretary of the group are all elites born and raised in Xinzhou Village. In the 1980s, Guanhua Group started from a small village-run industrial workshop relying on the collective capital of the village. In 2023, through the villagers’ vote, the village collective “lent” 24 million yuan from the village collective fund account to the group and obtained an annual interest rate of 5%. ② It actively plays a leading role in rural development. Guanhua Group is an endogenous enterprise in the village, establishing a close relationship with the rural society which prompts the group to actively assume social public responsibilities. During the more than 40 years of development, the group has actively fulfilled its corporate social responsibilities in terms of employment guarantee, welfare provision, fund donation, and the maintenance of a collective economy promoting common prosperity in rural areas. Guanhua Group provides sufficient employment opportunities for local villagers and offers special positions for the elderly and unskilled villagers. From 2000 to 2020, it persisted in distributing 200 yuan of consolation money every year to the elderly over 60-years-old. It also actively safeguards the interests of the village collective. For example, in the event of liquidating assets with China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Third Harbor Engineering Company, the group hired a lawyer team and a financial advisor to clarify the joint-venture accounts, and it not only resolved the legal disputes but also safeguarded the economic interests of Xinzhou Village by obtaining 26 million yuan.

Xinzhou Village is an endogenous industrial village. The Guanhua Group integrates the production space with the village’s living and ecological spaces, enabling the village collective to share the value-added benefits of the space. As local talents, entrepreneurs actively take on rural public responsibilities and play a leading role in village governance. The development of this type of village has long relied on the support of traditional industries. However, due to the nature and scale of the existing industries, it is difficult to rapidly transform and achieve a wide-scale application of new quality productivity. It can only help the rural area achieve self-internal empowerment through traditional industries. Therefore, this type of rural revitalization is referred to as the traditional industry dominated model (Figure 6).

4.3. New Quality Productivity Exploration Model: “Smart Village” in Jinshan District

In 2023, Jinshan District established a district-level smart village mode and built a digital village management platform using digital and intelligent technologies. Currently, the empowerment of rural revitalization in Jinshan District by new quality productivity has achieved the following results: ① Empowering “comprehensive governance” in rural areas. In 2023, the basic platform construction of “smart villages” in 124 villages was initially completed. By connecting to public resource facilities such as surveillance cameras and eagle-eye devices, data inter-integration and inter-communication were achieved. Through functional modules such as micro-grid handling, river management, power monitoring, and 3D modeling, the digital governance efficiency of villages was improved. ② Empowering “universal participation” in rural areas. Through “N-scenarios” of grid-based intelligent applications such as online museums, shared parking, intelligent supervision of charging piles, remote online announcements, villagers’ online deliberations, and civilized-point exchanges, a three-dimensional digital governance system was formed. ③ Empowering the upgrading of the rural industrial structure. Relying on the smart management platform and integrating technologies such as biotechnology, remote sensing monitoring, and the Internet of things, elements such as agricultural industries, rural tourism, and rural cultural and creative industries were effectively integrated. Development models such as the digital planting of “from a seed to a grain of rice” in Tagang Village, Jinshanwei Town, the construction of the “Fragrant Rice Xinjing” industrial brand in Xinjing Village, Zhujing Town, and the “Hundred-mile Orchard” in Baiyang Village, Lüxiang Town, the integration of agriculture and tourism were realized. ④ Empowering the construction of clean and beautiful villages. Relying on the smart management platform, an integral management function was designed. By rewarding villagers with points for their active participation in rural activities, the “ownership” awareness of villagers was stimulated and a long-term management mechanism for clean and beautiful villages was realized.

Jinshan District has utilized digital means and combined the three elements of “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” to establish an integrated smart village platform, achieving informationization of village management. This type of rural revitalization usually addresses the issues of rural digital governance through methods such as investing in new technologies and funds and constructing management platforms. However, problems still remain, including the poor ability of villagers to apply new technologies, the weak willingness of offering capital for continuous investment, and the low driving force for industrial upgrading and innovation. Therefore, although this type of rural development integrates new quality productivity with rural elements, its practical effects cannot be shown in a short time. It is still necessary to actively explore the realistic paths of enabling rural development with new quality productivity. This type of rural revitalization is characterized by a wide range of fields empowered by new quality productivity and a low degree of achievement of rural development goals. Hence, this type of rural revitalization is referred to as the new quality productivity exploration model (Figure 7).

4.4. Rural System Reconstruction Model: Industrial Planning Upgrade in Jinqu Town

Following the development concept of “ecological civilization and industrial integration”, Jinqu Town in Shaanxi Province made an innovative integration of new quality productivity with talent cultivation, industrial planning, spatial governance, and technology integration.

In terms of talent cultivation, first of all the talent needs of Jinqu Town are highlighted and the construction and support measures for the talent team of “attracting, cultivating, and utilizing talents” are optimized, and a talent collaboration model involving “the government + village collectives + enterprises + research institutions + cooperatives” is constructed. Secondly, with Jinqu Village as the core, a rural smart cooperative is established and a talent service station for rural revitalization is set up. Thirdly, the cultivation plan of “digital + N type peasants” is adopted to enhance local villagers’ awareness and application ability of the digital economy.

In terms of industrial structure, an industrial structure of “smart agriculture + eco-tourism + deep-processing industry chain of agricultural and sideline products” has been formed. Guided by market demand, new quality productivity is introduced. Relying on the advantageous resources of Jinqu Town, such as kiwifruit, ecological environment, rural culture, red culture, and wine culture, the town has planned a thousand mu of a lotus pond, a kiwifruit planting industry, and a fisherman’s wharf, which are integrated to form four development models, respectively, agricultural manors, agricultural science and technology parks, agricultural processing zones, and agricultural product warehousing and logistics.

In terms of spatial optimization, a high-quality rural complex featuring the “integration of sightseeing, entertainment and amusement as well as integration of industry, agriculture and trade” has been formed. Based on the baseline conditions of the population, land, and industrial development across the entire region, the idle land within the village construction land control line is revitalized. Relying on the existing transportation facilities, industrial foundation, and waterfront resources in the town, six characteristic industrial parks are planned across the region, namely the thousand-mu lotus pond ecological conservation area, the hundred-fruit planting demonstration area, the memory rural residence comprehensive service area, the new-type agricultural experience area, the high-speed rail gateway economic area, and the e-commerce development agglomeration area, thus forming a new cluster model featuring both the spatial adjacency of “sightseeing, entertainment and amusement” and the spatial congregation of “industry, agriculture and trade”.

In terms of technological innovation, the Internet of things and big data are deeply integrated with the traditional kiwifruit cultivation industry, land, capital, and labor force in Jinqu Town. A new-type intelligent kiwifruit park is established, setting an example of the digital economy and forming the core driving force for rural industrial revitalization. The integration of intelligent equipment and rural logistics infrastructure, along with the adoption of advanced information and communication technologies, enables the construction of an agricultural industry data-sharing platform, promotes the development of local e-commerce, and creates a high-quality and efficient digital economic environment. The combination of remote sensing monitoring technology, crop model data analysis technology, and biotechnology builds an automated system and platform for smart agricultural production, realizing precise crop management and the traceability mechanism of agricultural products and achieving full-scale intelligence in the planting and processing of crops.

Evidently, during the development of Jinqu Town new quality productivity has been integrated with and reconstructed alongside elements such as industries, technologies, economy, land, and talents (Figure 8). This has enhanced the agricultural production efficiency and supply level across all rural areas in Jinqu Town and promoted the high-quality development of rural industries. This type of rural revitalization mode is called the rural system reconstruction model (Figure 8).

By having an analysis of the above four rural development models (in

Table 2. Comparison of rural revitalization models.

Rural Revitalization Models	Characteristics	Results	Applicable Region	Typical Cases
Rural project model	Single element, simply structured, and a single function	Rural development is not comprehensive.	Regions of low input requirements and simple development needs.	JD Farm Project
Traditional industry dominated model	Diverse elements, complex structure, and composite functions	Rural development is relatively slow.	Regions with solid industrial foundation	Xinzhou Village featuring “Integration of Industry and Village”
New quality productivity exploration model	Diverse elements, complex structure, and composite functions	The outcomes of rural development are uncertain.	Regions where the government or organizations can provide policy, resources, and capital support	Jingshan District with the concept of “Smart Village”
Rural system reconstruction model	Diverse elements, complex structure, and composite functions	Rural development is relatively rapid.	It has a solid industrial foundation and a strong capacity to undertake new quality productive forces.	Industrial Revitalization of Jinqu Town

), it can be seen that the rural system reconstruction model is based on the deep integration of new quality productivity and rural elements. The two can complement each other and accelerate the process of rural revitalization. This model is suitable for rural areas with a solid industrial foundation and strong capacity to undertake new quality productivity. The traditional industry dominated model is based on traditional industries helping rural areas achieve endogenous sustainable development and the equivalent development of rural and urban construction. However, compared with the rural system reconstruction model, due to the lack of the empowerment of new quality productivity its rural development speed will gradually slow down. This model is characterized by the diversified input of village development elements, a complex element allocation structure, and a composite function presented externally. The new quality productivity exploration model adopts new quality productivity as a means to help rural areas form certain endogenous motivation, but it is a rural development model that requires support from external entities such as the government or public welfare departments. There is great uncertainty in rural development under this model, since if external entities cannot continuously provide support it will be difficult for new quality productivity to maintain innovative development. Therefore, this model is more suitable for rural areas where the government or organizations fully support rural modernization. As for the rural project model, due to its limited scope of the empowerment of new quality productivity, the rural project-based development model can hardly form a large-scale internal or external empowerment effect. Thus, it is difficult for rural areas to achieve comprehensive revitalization under this model. It is suitable for rural areas with low input requirements and simple development needs. This model is characterized by little element input, a simple allocation structure, and a single rural function.

5. Discussion

Emphasizing improving total factor productivity, enhancing social governance efficiency, and promoting social equity and sustainable development through scientific and technological innovation, new quality productivity is an important driving force for the future development of a country’s social economy and a new and effective means of promoting rural revitalization. Having brought about the changes in rural elements, rural structures, and rural functions, it is a crucial driving force for the optimization of the rural system in the new era. By addressing rural issues, innovating rural governance methods, leveraging technological innovation to expand rural functions, and establishing a new regulatory system, the identification, allocation, and integration of rural resources are all achieved, which helps to solve the problem of the driving force for the sustainable development of rural areas in China, break through the development bottleneck of the urban-rural dual structure, and provide a new interpretive framework for the new endogenous development of rural revitalization.

With the comprehensive advancement of the rural revitalization strategy and the continuous flow and exchange of urban–rural elements, the future rural development is characterized by an environment full of uncertainty and complexity. Using new quality productivity to promote the self-organization and re-organization of rural areas, activate and awaken the dormant resources such as people, finances, industries, land, and technologies in rural areas, optimize the resource allocation structure, and actively enhance the self-development and scientific and technological innovation capabilities of rural areas thereby manifesting the diverse functions of rural areas, is an important source of motivation for rural development in an uncertain situation.

Therefore, new quality productivity is not only an important action selection for comprehensively promoting the rural revitalization strategy in the new era but also a significant way for rural areas to maintain their normal operation and orderly development in an uncertain situation. At present, academic research on the mechanism of action between new quality productivity and rural revitalization has just started. In the future, it is necessary to combine the rural revitalization strategy by delving into the real-world scenarios of rural development in China to promote new theoretical and practical research on the empowerment of rural development by new quality productivity with Chinese characteristics so as to advance the comprehensive revitalization and sustainable development of rural areas. In addition, although this study summarizes the development models of empowering rural revitalization with new quality productivity, the scope of the selection of typical cases needs to be expanded. In the follow-up, more recent cases can be selected for verification and analysis which may help to continuously deepen our understanding in terms of rural development innovation.

6. Conclusions

(1)

Based on the systematic analysis framework of “elements–structure–function”, through the evolutionary mechanism of “element flow–structural allocation–functional manifestation”, the logical relationship between new quality productivity and rural revitalization is scientifically understood and studied. The countryside is a complex system composed of multiple subsystems, featuring “elements–structures–functions”. As an advanced form of productivity, new quality productivity can extend the boundary of the rural element system, update the rural element allocation structure, and expand rural functions. At the same time, rural revitalization provides a practical carrier for new quality productivity, and the two form an interactive relationship.

(2)

New quality productivity creates rural value by building an element–flow platform, reshaping rural value by guiding the optimal allocation of elements, and promoting the co-creation and sharing of rural value by driving the coupling of multiple functions. The element system includes “people, finance, industry, land, and technology”. The element structure includes the talent structure, economic structure, industrial structure, functional structure, and technological combination. Functional manifestation involves talent cultivation, economic support, industrial upgrading, spatial governance, and the co-creating and sharing of rural value.

(3)

According to the degree of achievement of rural revitalization goals and the scope of empowerment of new quality productivity, rural revitalization models are classified into rural project type, new quality productivity exploration type, traditional industry dominated type, and rural system reconstruction type. Among them, the rural system reconstruction model is suitable for rural areas with a solid industrial foundation and a strong capacity to absorb new quality productivity as well as great development potential. The traditional industry dominated model is suitable for rural areas with a strong traditional industry foundation. The new quality productivity exploration model is suitable for fields with high government support but low returns. The rural project model is suitable for rural areas with a single development goal and low input requirements, featuring low element input, a simple structure, and a single function.

7. Policy Recommendations

In terms of elements, the construction of digital and intelligent agricultural infrastructure can be strengthened. The government should increase policy and financial support. In detail, firstly, rural infrastructures such as digital infrastructure, the Internet of things, remote sensing detection, 6G networks, and data centers can all be improved, which may help to promote digital application in rural areas to bring rural governance models like e-government, smart agriculture, and e-commerce to life. Secondly, the investment in the research and development (R&D) of agricultural new quality productivity can be increased. A special scientific research budget should be set to formulate preferential policies and collaborate with scientific research institutions, universities, and enterprises. With the actual needs of rural development taken into consideration, R&D of new technologies and products can be conducted to improve the scientific and technological contents and the commercial value of agriculture.

In terms of structure, a diversified industrial structure can be developed, and the characteristic landscapes of rural spaces need to be deeply explored. In detail, firstly, the agricultural industry chain should be improved and the in-depth integration of new quality productivity with the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries should be promoted in rural areas. The main bodies of rural governance should guide and encourage the integration of various forms of innovative technologies and talents with rural industries and create industrial forms such as digital agricultural industrial parks, ecological circular agriculture demonstration areas, and towns that integrate agriculture, culture, and tourism as one. Secondly, the characteristic ecological landscapes of rural areas can be reshaped. New quality productivity can be combined with rural cultural and ecological landscapes to form characteristic rural landscapes featuring “scattered landscapes with concentrated elements” which may provide a foundation for rural cultural tourism.

In terms of function, the understanding of new quality development can be enhanced, and the vitality of rural transformation can be stimulated. In detail, firstly, the understanding and application capabilities of cadres and villagers regarding new quality productivity should be enhanced, and the digital transformation and development of rural areas should be promoted. Secondly, the reform of the land system should be promoted, and new quality productivity should be employed to revitalize the stock land for redevelopment and reuse. Lastly, the investment in rural public services, infrastructures, and social security should be increased to achieve equal development between urban and rural areas.