At the invitation of Mr. Yunxing Xia — author of the cover story "Jiuzi Bay Harvest Village" in Volume 4, Issue 4 of Agricultural & Rural Studies (A&R, ISSN 2959-9784) and Founder of Jiuzi Bay Harvest Village — we will jointly host a Cover Story Launch Ceremony and Academic Seminar on Arts-Based Rural Construction.
Date: 26 December 2026
Venue: Jiuzi Bay Harvest Village, Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China
About Jiuzi Bay Harvest Village
Located in the polder fields of Wuhu, Anhui, Jiuzi Bay Harvest Village spans 10,000 mu, integrating six natural villages and over 500 households. Confronted with severe rural hollowing, Mr. Yunxing Xia led the team to adopt a "government-guided, villager-centered, community-enterprise co-constructed" model, anchored in one credo: "No walls built, no farmer removed." With an "Art+" ethos and a "Five-Micro" framework — micro-creativity, micro-retrofit, micro-incubation, micro-circulation, and micro-governance — the village reimagined 35 idle farmhouses into living rooms, aesthetic pavilions, and a maker center. Hosting the National Main Venue of the China Farmers' Harvest Festival in Autumn 2023 became the catalytic moment: over 70 young people returned, 200+ local jobs were created, average household income rose by ¥21,000, and collective revenue doubled. The "Jiuzi Bay Model" crystallizes a replicable paradigm for reversing rural hollowing through artistic intervention, factor return, and co-governance.
About the A&R Session
Co-located in the village itself, this special session combines the Cover Story Launch with an Academic Seminar on Arts-Based Rural Construction. It provides a dedicated forum to discuss how art can re-root rurality, activate local agency, and rebuild community fabric — moving beyond aesthetic decoration toward systemic rural transformation. The seminar underscores A&R's commitment to serving as an international, multidisciplinary platform for advancing agricultural and rural studies, with particular attention to the lived practices of the Global South.
You're Invited!
We extend a warm invitation to the entire Agricultural & Rural Studies community. All Editorial Board members, authors, reviewers, and readers are most welcome to attend the Cover Story Launch Ceremony and the associated academic activities. Whether you are presenting, networking, or exploring the future of rural revitalization, your presence will enrich this on-site, cross-border academic exchange. We look forward to connecting with you in Jiuzi Bay!
RSVP or inquiries: travismalone@sccpress.com