Concept town

Small town

Small town is a common term used frequently in China, but the use of the concept of small town in China is not standardized, so there are many different views on the coverage of the concept of small town in China, whether theoretical workers or practical workers.

viewpoint

There are four main concepts: (1) small town = small city (1) + built town (2) + market town (3). Obviously, the concept of this small town belongs to two categories: urban and rural. From the point of view of development, market towns should only be called "unbuilt towns". (2) small town = small city + established town. This concept of small town refers to small cities (county-level cities) and established towns with a small scale and a population of less than 200000. (3) small towns = established towns. This concept of small town belongs to the category of town, and it is a synonym of built town (including County town) in the urban system. (4) small towns = established towns + market towns. This concept of small town belongs to the two categories of city and township, including the county town which is smaller than the city and subordinate to the county, the established town outside the county, and the relatively developed rural market town which has not set up town system.

definition

Small towns, which are between urban and rural areas, have a special status. To sum up, different disciplines can understand the concept of small town in narrow sense and broad sense. In the narrow sense of our country, small towns refer to the built-up towns except the cities, including the counties. This concept is more in line with the legal meaning of the urban planning law of the people's Republic of China. Established town is the center of politics, economy, culture and life service in a certain rural area. The regulations on the establishment of towns in the report of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on the adjustment of the standards for established towns, which was approved by the State Council in 1984, are adjusted as follows: (1) where the local state organs at the county level are located, the establishment of towns should be established. (2) For a township with a total population of less than 20000 and a non-agricultural population of more than 20% in the township government, a town can be built; for a township with a total population of more than 20000 and a non-agricultural population of more than 10% in the township government, a town can be built. (3) In ethnic minority areas, remote areas with sparse population, mountainous areas and small industrial and mining areas, small ports, scenic tourism, border ports and other places, although the non-agricultural population is less than 20%, if necessary, the town system can also be set up. In the broad sense of our country, small towns include the concept of market town as well as the county town and built-up town in the narrow sense. This view emphasizes the dynamic and rural nature of the development of small towns, which is a more common view in the research field of small towns in China. According to the "Regulations on the planning and construction of villages and market towns" issued in 1993, market towns are defined as the places where the people's governments of townships and ethnic townships are located and the non built towns which are confirmed by the people's governments at the county level and developed from the market as the economic, cultural and living service centers of certain rural areas. Therefore, the market town is the center of social and production activities, which combines industry and agriculture, urban and rural areas, is conducive to production and convenient life, and is the focus of China's rural urbanization in the future.

Chinese PinYin : Gai Nian Xiao Cheng Zhen