Land Acquisition, Dismantling The Village Built Home With Rural Interpersonal Changes

Most researchers have noted the fact which occured in rural China, that is the relationships between people in traditional villages have changed in the context of rapid social transformation in recent decades. But first, there is no systematic and detailed description about these changes. Second, most of them use one factor simply as the starting point regardless of the hidden intermediate factors when they explain these changes, or explain from a single theory but turning a blind eye to other possible factors. This is inconsistent with the actual situation in rural China. This approach makes the study of relationships in rural areas superficially, and has no effect on the theory accumulation.This study selected a village in northern China (F Village), collected empirical data through qualitative research methods including literature methods, semi-structured interviews, group interviews and participant observation.By sorting out the relevant theory and field data, this study attempts to examine the changes of relationships in F village when faced with the rapidly changing of external environment (implementation of the project that land expropriation and village demolition), and show the causal mechanisms which leading to these changes.In this study, I first elaborated the village background from two aspects——China's rural social policies which F village had experienced since the establishment of new China,and market and commdity economy's development and penetration in rural China since reform and opening-up policy's implement——and presented the relationships'phase characteristics in F village under the influence of these two stages. Although the relationships in F village emerged characteristics of differentiation and profit-driven under the double impact of rural social policies and market economy,however,limited by environmental constraints in traditional villages,such as agricultural production, settlement patterns and the living facilities around the rural society,mutual-help relationship model have not fundamental change in the village acquaintance society.The implementation of the land expropriation and village demolition changed the mode of production and lifestyle, completely break the traditional patterns of interpersonal relations in F village.This study examine the affects which land expropriation and village demolition brought to interpersonal relations from the following three sides: (A)Settlement patterns and the change of interpersonal relations in the F village.After land expropriation and village demolition, natural boundary of the F village has bluring.frequent movement of strangers and the optimization of public sphere surrounding in terms of scope or the natural environment are all increased the interaction between villager and strangers,also increased the individual detached from acquaintances and enjoyed the quiet natural environment alone and freedom.Original settlement pattern of courtyard-style cottage disappeared, make the junction apace die away as private sector's extension and public sector's invasion, private sphere and public sphere became two distinct sectors having no junction, achieved the life style of the "hide in the small building into a unified".The independent space within cell floor promoted the concept of privacy.Compared to the living room which several generations living together, separate bedroom makes children more attention to their own private space. Moreover, cell floor cut off the intimate relationships in acquaintance society. Public space——not private sector——became the foremost arena which family members associate with their personal friend. Meanwhile, the communication methods which occured between parents and neighbors and their friends are more difficult to be observed, which further reduce the process of socialization of children on the traditional cultural norms and admonition.(B)Exchange manner and the change of interpersonal relations in the F village.Before land expropriation and village demolition, gift exchange is a very important mode in people's life. The gift exchange network based on family-centric, that is, family as the basic unit involved in interpersonal gift-exchange activities.The family's relationships mainly inherited from the kinship and father's relations between villages in the neighborhood, these relationships preserve and strengthen through expressive gift exchanges.After land expropriation and village demolition, gife exchange's importance diminished in people's lives.The gift exchange network based on individual-centric, individual's relationships mainly inherited from the kinship and relationship between students and co-worker created by individuals, these relationships created and maintained by reciprocal exchange with more tool means.Commodity exchange became the most important or even the only exchange mode in people's lives.Gift exchange and commodity exchange point to a different form of relationship because they have different obligation and indivisibility. (C)Village gossip, villager's identity and the change of interpersonal relations in the F village.After land expropriation and village demolition, F village not only changed in some external environment(such as the natural boundary of the village blurred, the increasingly frequent movement of people and get along with strangers), but also changed in the more subjective feelings(such as, awareness of the village boundary, experience about the changes in production practices and lifestyle, sense of belonging to the village community). Along with these changes, F villagers have changed their sence about their own identity, their own ways in interpersonal relationships,and changed their actions baced this sence. This change break management tradition(through the village gossip and public opinion) and sense-making tradition(through people's identity and the corresponding action).The disappear of management tradition and sense-making tradition further deepened their understanding of the changing identity and the corresponding action in order to meet the expectations attached to the identity in turn.The implementation of the land expropriation and village demolition fundamentally changed people's production mode and lifestyle in Fvillage, the change of settlement patterns, exchange mode,village gossip and villager's identity all affected interpersonal relations in different ways and degrees.Interpersonal relations in the village changed from the mutual-help to the individualization. Individualization's relationship emerged after land expropriation and village demolition can not be understood individual's moral failure as proposed by Yan Yunxiang, but lack of social trust experienced by the individual when individual came out from traditional acquaintance community...