In recent years, there has been a growing trend of affluent individuals going to rural areas to build or renovate houses, attracting attention and reflection. Experts analyze that rural China is not an idyllic paradise; the Chinese Communist Party will not relinquish control over land.
Recently, a young woman, “Xiao Wu,” who moved to Beijing, shared a video documenting the story of her and her sisters renovating their old family home. With the elders passing away and the old courtyard falling into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, they embarked on a project to revive it. After eight years of neglect, they cleaned thick layers of fallen leaves in the courtyard and started renovating the house – laying bricks, replacing doors and windows, installing wall panels, utilities, painting the walls, refreshing the interior with new curtains and furniture. They even transformed the sheep pen in the northeast corner into a leisure area with bricks, cement, and paint.
Despite their parents no longer being there, after the house was renovated, Xiao Wu and her sisters felt like they had a home again, where they could reunite for festivals and occasions.
Opinions among netizens regarding Xiao Wu and her sisters’ renovation project vary. Some support the renovation, believing it is the right thing to do rather than letting the house collapse and return to the collective village. Others feel conflicted, acknowledging the good renovation work but questioning its purpose if no one will reside there long term.
Regarding the debate on building houses in rural areas, netizens have diverse opinions. Some find solace in living alternately between city and countryside, considering rural areas as a retreat when city life becomes overwhelming. They view rural homes near the city as valuable investments and peaceful retreats.
However, some netizens believe that those returning to rural areas to build houses are making a mistake. An interior design blogger from Chongqing expressed regret after renovating a house in the countryside, observing the inevitable trend of rural areas becoming hollow.
According to a Sichuan netizen, the decision to sell their city home and build a comfortable house in the countryside was deemed fulfilling despite minimal changes in daily commutes. They believe life in the countryside offers lower living costs and a peaceful lifestyle.
Experts like David, who have long analyzed rural issues, highlight that the fundamental question of returning to rural areas boils down to survival. As urban economies continue to struggle, returning to the countryside offers a temporary solution, but the future of land ownership remains uncertain amid capital interests.
Living in rural areas reduces expenses such as property management fees, parking fees, and utility bills, attracting peasants to urban living. However, such conveniences may not last long as rural areas begin to impose property management fees for water, road maintenance, and cleanliness.
David emphasizes that most rural areas in China are disappearing, with deserted land and abandoned homes due to the inability of farmers to sustain themselves. The allure of rural household registration remains for urban outskirts residents, but practicality leans towards urban living for better opportunities.
The Communist Party favors transitioning citizens to urban life as it allows for enforced contribution to social security. The shift from rural to urban residency requires mandatory social security payments, ensuring centralized control and reducing rural economic independence.
Apart from second-generation farmers returning to renovate rural homes, wealthy individuals are also purchasing land and constructing houses in rural peripheries. In February 2025, China’s Central Government released a directive prohibiting urban residents and retired officials from encroaching on rural land for housing purposes.
David highlights that the government’s restriction on urban residents buying land in rural areas aims to maintain total land control and prevent potential challenges to their authority. Undoubtedly, the Communist Party remains vigilant in avoiding any power shift that could arise if urban residents acquired land within rural communities.
David continues to argue that before the Communist Party’s rule, landowners controlled their property as a form of capital. However, under communist governance, land remains a vital asset controlled by the government to regulate rural livelihoods. The complex land control mechanisms prevent easy relinquishment of control over agricultural land.