The International Ecosystem Management Partnership (IEMP) and the Editorial Department of China Rural Survey (Editorial Department of the China Rural Development Yearbook) jointly held the Sixth China Rural Development Studies Seminar and the Forum on High-Quality and Full Employment of Rural Labor on October 17, 2026. The experts, scholars, and young students from Peking University, China Agricultural University, Huazhong Agricultural University, Jinan University, Northwest A&F University, Beijing Forestry University, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, and other universities and research institutions attended the meeting.
At the opening ceremony, Dr. Fu Chao, Head of the Research Division of the IEMP and Professor Xin Du, Director of the Editorial Department of China Rural Survey (Editorial Department of the China Rural Development Yearbook), delivered opening remarks, respectively. Dr. Chao Fu extended a warm welcome to the Sixth China Rural Development Studies Seminar being held at IEMP and introduced the participating experts and scholars. Professor Xin Du expressed sincere gratitude to the co-host, the IEMP, as well as to the specially invited experts, commentators, teachers, and students participating in this seminar. He also introduced China Rural Survey and the China Rural Development Studies Seminar, expressing the hope that participating experts and students would study real problems and explore new knowledge through face-to-face clashes of views and exchanges of ideas.
Welcome Remarks by Dr. FU Chao and Professor DU Xin
After the opening ceremony, Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of the UNEP-IEMP, was invited to give a keynote address entitled “Forty Years of Off-farm Employment of Rural Labor in China: Review and Prospects.” Director Zhang introduced the patterns of industrialization and urbanization in the process of economic development and the development trends of off-farm employment of China’s rural labor since reform and opening up. She reviewed the main issues and important findings of research on off-farm employment of rural labor at different stages and, in light of the strategic deployment and policy needs for high-quality and full employment during China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period, proposed urgent questions and research directions for the future in this field.
Professor ZHANG Linxiu delivered an invited lecture
After the keynote address, the meeting entered the paper discussion session. The paper discussions were divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Associate Editor Lijuan Zhang of the Editorial Department of China Rural Survey (Editorial Department of the China Rural Development Yearbook) and Associate Professor Yunli Bai of IEMP, chaired the first and second halves of the paper discussions, respectively.
Associate Editor ZHANG Lijuan and Associate Professor BAI Yunli chaired the sessions
At the seminar, five paper authors gave academic presentations on topics including the impact of atmospheric environmental regulation on the choice of employment location of rural labor; the impact of the profound adjustment of the real estate sector on migrant workers’ employment; the impact of migrant work experience on rural residents’ participation in digital governance; parental occupational background and the occupational choices of rural offspring; and whether the application of industrial robots leads to downward intergenerational class mobility of rural labor.
Professor Xiaobing Wang of the School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University; Professor Mi Zhou of the College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University; Professor Xiaomeng Cui of the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Jinan University; and Professor Xuetao Sun of the Institute of Rural Development, Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, provided comments on the presented papers. The four professors conducted in-depth analysis from the perspectives of the frontier nature of paper topics, the rigor of the research design, the rationality of the theoretical logic, and the standardization of the analytical methods, and put forward constructive suggestions and comments for revision. The paper authors engaged in lively discussion and in-depth exchange with the experts, scholars, and participating teachers and students on related issues.
At the end, Director Xin Du summarized the meeting. He expressed sincere respect for the dedication and efforts of the specially invited experts, commentators, and paper authors, and sincere gratitude to the IEMP, for its meticulous organization and thoughtful arrangements for the meeting. He also expressed the hope that experts, scholars, and young students would continue to follow and actively participate in the academic activities organized by the Editorial Department and jointly promote continuous progress in China rural development studies.
By combining keynote address with thematic discussions, the seminar built a platform for academic exchange in the field of high-quality and full employment of rural labor in China, helping to deepen relevant research and policy discussion. The team of the IEMP has long conducted research in the interdisciplinary field of “Climate, Ecology, and Livelihoods,” and labor employment is an important research topic in the livelihood dimension. The convening of this seminar helped enhance the team’s research capacity and expand its collaborative research network in this field.
