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The International Symposium on New Directions of Urban-Rural Development in China concluded on June 7, 2024, at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) with resounding success. The international symposium has attracted around 180 registered participants from various countries and regions, including the Mainland China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United State, and France.  

Jointly organised by the Department of Applied Social Sciences, including its China and Global Development Network, and Peking University–The Hong Kong Polytechnic University China Social Work Research Centre, and the Department of Building and Real Estate, including its China Innovative Urban-Rural Governance Research Network, the symposium commenced with an inspiring and warm welcome speech by Prof. Daniel T.L. SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Program) of PolyU, and Ir Prof. Michael C.H. YAM, Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate at PolyU. 

 The international symposium invited keynote speakers Prof. WU Weiping from Columbia University, Prof. TIAN Li from Tsinghua University, Prof. Hyun Bang SHIN from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and Prof. LU Huilin from Peking University. They gave impressive speeches on China Urbanizing, China’s Rural Revitalization, China’s Urban Political Economy, and China’s urbanization. In addition, other invited speakers from Nanjing University, the City University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, actively participated in plenary sessions, delving into a wide range of topics related to China’s Rural and Urban Political Economy, Innovation and Planning in the New Economy, Place and Culture in Urban-rural Development, State and Society in Rural and Agricultural Development. 

In the research colloquium on June 7, all the guests spoke freely and conducted deep and detailed interdisciplinary exchanges on conducting studies on rural-urban development in China. The conference concluded with gratitude to all participants and organisers, highlighting the new directions of urban-rural development in China. Participants expressed their enthusiasm about the symposium’s outcomes and the potential for future collaborations to drive urban-rural development forward.