Why is rural revitalization difficult to achieve? An in-context discussion of conceptual barriers to China’s 2018–2022 strategic plan

While rural revitalization strategies dominate public and scientific discourses, considerably less attention has been given to the key barriers that derail its full realization at the national level. This paper explores China’s rural revitalization pathway by evaluating the strategy’s four foundational pillars, and the key barriers that mar its success through expert judgement, a multicriteria decision analysis approach (i.e., Analytic Hierarchy Process), and review of existing literature. Findings put forth the following points (1) Key barriers influencing the full realization of China’s rural revitalization efforts include an ageing-population and labor shortage, income disparities between urban and rural areas, limited infrastructure and access to basic services, limited participation in governance processes, and land degradation/environmental issues (2) The critically weighted measures, highlighted by experts encapsulate support for rural industries, improved access to social services, balancing rural and urban development, land reform, and innovation (3) To revitalize rural China, ‘smart shrinkage’ is critical (4) In positive light, 'rural shrinkage' offers both direct and indirect benefits (5) The '4R value strategy' introduced presents a clear path for innovative decision- and place-making processes in rural settings. Standpoints promote equitable development and reduction of regional disparities through targeted interventions to address the key barriers identified.