The Transformation And Reconstruction Of Public Space

Recently,problems of basic democracy,conflicts among groups and the disorder of the peasants' believe have been constantly attracting our attention.Some scholars claimed that,the rural community has been on its way to collapse.“The end of the villages” has also been pointed out.All the issues refer to the questions of maintenance of community and the conformity of rural area.It encourages us to reconsider the classical thought: how the society can be possible?With this theoretical background,a special rural organization seized my eyes.The reasons are as the following.Firstly,it has a long history and constantly doing its performance job,in contrast to the other similar organization,it is quite unique.Now it is also the only remaining amateur opera club in this area.Secondly,it is well-equipped,largely-organized and widely-supported.Its annual performance lasts 15 to 20 days every year,involving 40 to 50 actors.Thirdly,it is a product of the community.In return,it helps to strengthen the relationships between the villagers.All the activities involving the actors,organizers,supporters and its audiences are in the limit of the village.From its performance,training to money raising and other source obtainment practice,the village is always the center.The club is a typical public space in the countryside.Its maintenance has become a counter-example of the popular theory.Through the survey,I divide its history into 3 periods.The first one is from 1948 to 1978,called the “integration stage”.Its background is the social conditions of highly-organized farmers.The second one is from 1979 to 2004,called the “differentiation stage”.It reflects the various,positive and economy-considered involvement of the farmers.And the third one is from 2005 to 2016,called the “recurrence stage”.It is under the conditions of highly globalization and the “New Normal” of China's economy.Now the motive powers get back into the club's basic functions: to strengthen emotions,promote reactions,re-practice traditions and so on.This article agrees that rural community has vulnerability,while it also obtain the energy of self-maintenance and the mechanism of self-reconstruction.To mobilize this mechanism,we need the supports from the government and the whole society on one hand;on the other hand,which is the more important measure,is to reconstruct the public space in the rural areas.The structure endangered by the ”economy logics ” and “mobility” can be protected in this way,the interactions intra-community and inter-community can be strengthened in this way,and the ethical order can be re-built in this way.Beneath the changes of the public spaces,some traditional values,local mores,the responsibilities for the villages and the emotional connections among people still remain.They are the steady aspects of the community,so these factors should surely be taken into account when we approach these issues.It is not only a cultural principle,but also a requirement to build the public space in the countryside.Only in this way can we build excellent,beautiful and modern villages for this great country.