Can Resources Lead To Development?

Nowadays China’s rural development and social change process can also been seen as a social construction process by developmentalism. Through the way of field research, this study tracked the development and social change process of a mineral resources-rich village after the reform and opening up. This study tries to answer the question that why the exploitation of mineral resources does not bring blessings to the villagers in the background of developmentalism.At first the paper introduces the origin of the research and the relevant theories, which are followed with the profile of the village. According to different categories, scales and different actors, the history of exploitation of mineral resources in recent30years in Song village is divided into four stages. Song village has experienced the spontaneous vermiculite mining stage, the initial stage of iron ore dressing plant establishment, the climax of iron exploitation and decline stage in recent years.Although different stages of mineral resources exploitation in Song village seem like two contrary processes, actually they are all the results of the penetration of developmentalism. In the era of the mineral resources exploitation gradually rises, market-oriented reform advocated by developmentalism built the foundation for the exploitation of mineral resources. Meanwhile, problems in the exploitation process such as unfair distribution, environmental pollution and mismanagement are ignored and covered by the concept that economic growth prior to other forms of development. However, the decline of iron exploitation in Song village could also be seen as a result of adjustment of development strategy in national level. Discourses such as "sustainable development","Scientific outlook on development "and adjustment for iron and steel industry overcapacity are put forward to promote a better and faster economic development. These have caused the decline of the Song village and rural areas around.Seeing from inside of the village, different groups socially construct the mineral resources exploitation process. According to their own interests, different discourses and action strategy are used through a variety of ways to engage in the process of the mineral resources exploitation. Due to differences in intellectual, power, social network, the results of their actions are different. In general, the township government leaders, village political and economic elites have the initiatives in the process of exploitation of mineral resources and are able to get their own interests in this process. However, the economic, social and psychological costs are put on the ordinary villagers and vulnerable groups in the village silently.The village witnesses the social differentiation due to the exploitation of natural resources. Similarly, from a higher level, a differentiation between rural and urban areas exists. The urban gets the benefit while the rural bear most of the cost. This research analyses the development of rural industrialization and the rural-urban relationship since early1950s. Although on the surface, the relationship between rural and urban has experienced from "draw" to "feedback", relationship between urban and rural areas is still in a state of inequality. By take the development discourse exclusively, urban areas shape themselves as the future prospect for rural development. In this way, cities take the country firmly in their own power network and control the country economically and ideologically.Finally, the research reflects on "development" itself. We should realize that development is socially constructed and reveal the inherent power relations in the development discourse. This is the basic premise of the freedom-based development.