**5. Discussion**

The relations between new-type urbanization and rural revitalization are symbiotic. The current research is still insufficient; the discussion hopes to build the following research framework to provide new perspectives and ideas for later researchers. Research on the strategic coupling and collaborative path of these two strategies will help to solve the "three rural" problem and change the development mode of traditional urbanization, thus further realizing the overall development of urban and rural areas. Different disciplines and perspectives have important reference significance and provide inspiration for a comprehensive and profound understanding of the strategic coupling of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization (Figure 5).

**Figure 5.** Research framework for integrated development of urbanization and rural revitalization strategy.

**Build a research framework for the integration of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization.** Research on urbanization and rural research tend to be separated; there is less on the integration of the two strategies. There have been more review studies since the founding of the People's Republic of China and reform and opening up, but fewer prospective studies combined with the background and characteristics of the new era. Therefore, based on the new era, putting forward a strategic coupling research framework for new-type urbanization and rural revitalization, and constructing a new model of collaborative governance, could address the gap in this research.

**Establish a comprehensive research paradigm with an interdisciplinary vision.** Although many studies focus on urban–rural relations at present, there are often different positions and perspectives between different disciplines, with a lack of dialogue, intersection and integration among the disciplines. Therefore, it is necessary to break the boundaries of disciplines in knowledge or epistemology and conduct interdisciplinary and comprehensive research oriented by problems. The understanding of the requirements of the high-quality development of China in the new era should be deepened, and comprehensive research in multiple dimensions such as space, society, the economy, industry, the resource environment and systems should be carried out.

**Focus on the global perspective and multiscale integration of research.** It is necessary to carry out solid research systematically comparing and summarizing the theoretical and historical basis of the differences in urban–rural relations between China and foreign countries. It is necessary to establish a global perspective and fully draw on the experience of the development of urban–rural relations in developed countries. New-type urbanization with Chinese characteristics and rural revitalization have been promoted as national strategies, and this institutional design is having an important impact on the evolution of urban–rural relations. Compared with developed countries, it may also form a path of specialization and differentiation. In addition, the urbanization process and rural development in different regions and stages in China are quite different. It is also necessary to analyze the scale differences and regional characteristics from a global perspective at different spatial scales such as countries, urban agglomerations, provinces, big cities, medium- and small-sized cities, counties, towns and villages.

**Strengthen technological innovation, and refine and deepen scientific research on urban–rural relations.** Collaboration mainly refers to the collaborative operation and governance of policy practice through multiagent, multiple technologies and methods. It requires the comprehensive use of the methods of logical analysis, quantitative analysis, statistical analysis, comparative analysis and case analysis; moreover, attention must be paid to social survey methods such as field surveys, in-depth interviews and questionnaires, and new technology methods such as geographic information technology, big data technology, visualization technology and neural networks should be innovatively explored to solve the complex problems of urban–rural relations. The study of urban–rural relations is a very grounded research field relevant to the real world, which needs to further refine and deepen scientific issues, and carry out in-depth research on the spatial–temporal patterns, integration paths, symbiotic effects and institutional mechanisms of urban–rural relations. In addition, for research on the integration and development of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization, attention must also be paid to facing up to the practical problems so as to draw lessons and avoid risks.

#### **6. Conclusions**

With the literature review method and comparative analysis, this paper reviews the historical evolution of urbanization and rural relations at home and abroad, and analyzes the problems of urbanization and rural development since reform and opening up. Based on the above analysis, this article points to the predication and challenges of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization in the new era, and puts forward a research framework for the integrated development of urbanization and a rural revitalization strategy in the discussion.

Both the overseas research and domestic research conclude that urban and rural areas are showing a new trend of integrated development. In the urbanization progress of China, urban-biased urbanization has resulted in a development gap between urban and rural

areas since reform and opening up. The gap between urban and rural development has been tending to narrow relatively in recent years, and new-type urbanization and rural revitalization have contributed to this. The main trends in new-type urbanization and rural revitalization in the future are predicted as follows: new-type urbanization with a two-way interaction between urban and rural areas, urban–rural integration, a stable gap between urban and rural areas, a relatively smaller urban–rural gap between the east and the west, and coordinated governance between urban and rural areas. The major challenges in urban–rural relations in China by 2050 will be as follows: The geographical characteristic of "one side adjacent to the sea" will still be the main factor for the regional imbalance of urban–rural relations in China. The unbalanced and insufficient development in space will continue to embody the characteristics of the "Hu Line" as the geographical boundary. The exploration of development paths, transformation driven by innovation, and deepening the reform of the system and mechanism are the key measures and trends.

This study took China as a case, starting from the theory of urban–rural relations and starting from the reality of China's urbanization and rural development, considering the deficits and successes in urbanization practice. Combined with the new-type urbanization strategy and rural revitalization strategy, this article presents powerful actions for the state to use to promote the coordinated development of urban and rural areas in the near future at the policy practice level. It also predicts the trends and challenges for the future urban and rural development in China. This study provides an idea of urban–rural integration for developing countries such as China where the government plays an important role in the context of the global flow of urban–rural elements. In the research of urban and rural development, this study discusses a theoretical framework and emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary integration, new technology application, and international and domestic vision switching.

**Author Contributions:** M.C. supervised the conceptualization, designed the research framework, prepared the original draft, and conducted the revision of the manuscript. Y.Z. made the diagrams and wrote a part of the contents. X.H. made the diagrams and wrote a part of the contents. C.Y. reviewed the manuscript, prepared the original draft and wrote a part of the contents. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number 41822104 and grant number41871143, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Basic Frontier Science Research Program from the 0 to 1 Original Innovation Project grant number No. ZDBS-LYDQC005, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, grant number XDA23100301 and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Science, grant number 2017072.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests or other interests influencing this work.
