Urbanie & Urbanus

Issue 2025 Jan

Counter-Urbanization

International Gentrification of Rural China: The Emergence of Yangjiale

Yifan Song

PhD candidate in Architecture and Civil Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong

and  Paulina Maria Neisch

Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong

Abstract

Yangjiale is a type of bed and breakfast (BnB) accommodation that originates from the villages of Mount Mogan in Zhejiang Province, located in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. In this area, non-natives from nearby metropolitan cities, such as Shanghai, began renting abandoned village houses from local farmers. They signed 20-year lease contracts at low prices, refurbished the properties with modern designs, and transformed them into hospitality services.The success of the Yangjiale phenomenon in the villages and towns of Mount Mogan, Zhejiang, reveals the touristification of rural areas caused by the flow of the global bourgeoisie in the surrounding megacities of Hangzhou and Shanghai. Its development phases are the following: embryonic-exogenous, prosperity-indigenous, mass-plateau. After the epidemic, Yangjiale experienced a decline in popularity and was criticized for its excessive homogeneity and market saturation. The emergence and development of Yangjiale can be expounded as a global gentrification process brought about by the globalization flow of the global bourgeoisie, which reveals a sense of urban entrepreneurialism. The development of Yangjiale reflects consumerism from the perspective of the Chinese market. Combined with China’s platform economy, its development to the bottleneck shows a cultural swing from anti-McDonaldization to McDonaldization.This article primarily examines the causes of the Yangjiale phenomenon and describes the social mechanisms associated with it namely Yangjialization. It observes changes in Yangjiale's architectural style, explores the relationship between the Yangjiale phenomenon and shifts in local architectural styles, also offers insights for the development of rural tourism in similar regions. The article primarily employs three methods: 1. Literature research to create a theoretical framework that explains the phenomenon of Yangjialelization; 2. Interview methods to gather diverse perspectives on Yangjiale, establishing a foundation for expressing its significance; and 3. An analysis of the evolution of Yangjiale's architectural style using photo archives.