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This paper seeks to explore the sustainable development of contemporary Chinese villages by taking Nalu Village in China as a case study. Ethnographic in-depth interviews and observations are used to investigate the transformation of the rich history and heritage in the village. The research and analyses are informed by a multi-dimensional framework of sustainable development. The research finds that the state’s naming the village as a “Chinese Traditional Village” has promoted local rural tourism, which plays an important role in improving the visibility of the village, increases the income of the villagers, and enhances a stronger sense of attachment and satisfaction of the villagers. The pride of the villagers in turn makes them cherish the history of their village. This paper argues that this pride becomes the capital or incentive for the villagers to sustain its continuity.

Despite increasing academic interest focused on Chinese cities, there has been relatively little sustained theoretical and empirical engagement with critical approaches that have enlivened urban geography over the past 30 years. In this paper we seek to advance this research agenda by focusing on embodied urban geographies. More specifically, we consider case studies of dance and massage in order to show how critical engagement with everyday social and cultural forms and practices has much to offer understanding of urban life in China. Discussing theoretical terrain relating to dance and massage with reference to public/private space, individual/collective practices and experiences, and comfort/discomfort, we also signpost important contributions that critical research into Chinese urbanism can make to broader debates within and beyond urban geography.

Since the 1990s, Shanghai has experienced massive urban development and renewal as ways to respond to its demographic, economic, and living space needs. Previous policies have led to the demolishment of many historical communities and valuable heritage housing. The existing ones continue to face extreme threats, such as bad physical conditions and the marginalization of communities. Yet there is a recent trend that emphasizes sustainable urban renewal named microregeneration (微更新), launched by municipal and local states since 2016. One of the main approaches of the initiative was to form new urban coalitions to focus on collaborative governance that helps integrate different agents’ expertise and values for more sustainable urban developments and renewals. This paper explores two cases on how this concept has emerged. The first case is An Shan Si Cun (鞍山四村). This housing block was built in the 1950s for employees of some state-owned enterprises. The second case is Jing Lao Cun (敬老邨). This alley house neighborhood was built in 1930s for migrants who came to Shanghai. Furthermore, this paper is to explore and compare their approaches to sustainable urban renewal, which attempts to preserve these communities that represent cultural and built heritage in Shanghai. Specifically, this paper examines the challenges and accomplishments of these experiments, and discusses policy implications for future tactics of sustainable urban renewal.