Yangtze River Delta, as a pivotal region where the coastal axis and the riverside axis intersect, is characterized by complexity, diversity and typicality of the spatial structural evolution. Therefore, understanding its evolutionary pattern and constructing a theoretical model has important theoretical significance and application value. According to the core-periphery structure theory, the Yangtze River Delta can be divided into a core area that is centered on the Taihu Lake Basin and remaining periphery areas. However, due to its location at the junction of the river and the sea, a gateway area has emerged within the periphery area, thus forming a spatial structure that is composed of the core area and the gateway area. In the early period, the core area was centered on Suzhou, and a five-tier central place structure became well established since ancient times. However, the gateway area kept evolving and underwent three main changes: in ancient times, the gateway area was centered on Yangzhou, forming the canal gateway cluster; in the modern age, the gateway area became centered on Shanghai, forming an offshore gateway cluster; and in the contemporary era, the gateway area became centered on Ningbo, forming an oceanic gateway cluster. Their corresponding navigation capacities were 500 t, 10,000 t, and 200,000 t, respectively. Therefore, in addition to the existing central place theory and seaport spatial structure theory, the spatial structure evolution of the Yangtze River Delta presents a new evolutionary model: namely, the fusion evolutionary model of central places and port gateways. According to this model, in the early period, it was an endogenous evolution of the core area's spatial structure, which was in line with Christaller's hexagonal structure; while in modern times, the evolution of the spatial structure of the Yangtze River Delta was no longer dominated by central places, but rather, it became dominated by the gateway areas, making the k = 3 market principle turn into the k = 4 transportation principle. In this way, the Yangtze River Delta provides a globally exemplary empirical case for validating the process test of the central place theory, analyzing functional attributes of urban centrality and gateway, and refining the relevant theoretical model.

With the rapid advancement of science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a significant force driving scientific development and social progress. In the field of geographical sciences, the application of AI technology is deepening, bringing revolutionary changes to the collection, analysis, and application of big data and spatio-temporal information, and demonstrating innovative and application potential in multiple aspects. This paper systematically reviews the development and application of AI in geographical sciences, providing a detailed introduction to the development trajectories of various AI fields such as machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, planning systems, and large AI models, as well as their applications in geography. It discusses the problems and challenges of AI applications in geography and provides an outlook on the future development of interdisciplinary research between AI and geographical sciences.

The rapid pace of urbanization and the continuous evolution of social attitudes underscore the importance of examining subjective well-being among migrants from a gender perspective. Based on the literature in the Web of Science Core Collection database, CiteSpace was used to analyze the related literature econometrically. The research on migrants' subjective well-being from the gender perspective is systematized in terms of relevant theories, temporal and spatial evolution characteristics, research hotspots, regional differences, and so on. The findings indicate that theories about subjective well-being are evolving at a rapid pace, with a research trend exhibiting a fluctuating upward trajectory. The research area has a strong localization. The main topics of interest in current research include: multidimensional characteristics, family well-being, social problems, and group differences. Concurrently, domestic and international research trends exhibit differentiation, which is reflected in the research theme, object, perspective, and other aspects. It is proposed that Chinese migrant women exhibit distinctive characteristics that warrant further investigation. In the future, academics should strive to enhance and expand the research on subjective well-being by focusing on themes such as the multifaceted effects and underlying mechanisms of subjective well-being, China's socio-cultural context, and geographic perspectives.

The statistical definition of migration in China is attached with its unique household registration (hukou) system, the migrants so defined are also called the floating population. A new analytical paradigm is needed to deal with the complexity of sub-flows in the floating population. The paper classifies five types of the floating population in census context by referring the UN migration criteria, and constructs a new paradigm for analyzing the floating population in China. As a particular provincial-level region (hereafter province) is concerned, the inflow and outflow people belong to different hukou groups balanced by their own counter-flow, namely, inflow vs back-inflow (both have no hukou of the province), outflow vs back-outflow (both have hukou of the province). With the clue of inter-census migration cohort, a sub-flows model is constructed to identify the inter-provincial migration based on the retention rate. The annual retention rate of the inter-provincial migration cohort from 2010 to 2020 is 88.7%. Based on the provincial retention rates, an all-increment table of population change by province in China is made by modelling simulation. The paper surfaces new characteristics of population growth and inter-provincial migration: (1) Provincial population changes are divided into five types, among which the inflow-leading increase type is mainly found in municipalities and the eastern coastal areas, while the fertility-leading increase type and the fertility-overriding increase type are mainly in the western provinces and the agricultural provinces in the middle, and the outflow-overriding decrease type and the outflow-leading decrease type in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and the northeastern provinces. (2) The mechanical growth of population can be divided into four types: rapid increase, equilibrium, outflow-overriding decrease and dual decrease (both hukou and non-hukou migration are negative). A "W"-shaped mechanical growth rate profile from northwest to southeast is found with the equilibrium belt standing in its middle. (3) Population floating is divided into three types. The counter-flows are highly-correlated: inflow rate and outflow rate are negatively correlated while the inflow-back-inflow and outflow-back-outflow are significant positively correlated. The analytical paradigm and model of floating population in China can be further extended to the study of "citizenship seeking migration" including international migration, and even further to identity migration including migrations with status changing such as enrollment, employment and marriage.

Sustainable development is a significant scientific issue of global concern. Geography, as a comprehensive discipline focusing on the coupled relationship between human activities and the natural environment, provides systematic research and solutions for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive reviews. This paper summarizes the theoretical framework and research progress of Geography supporting the SDGs and explores its future key research areas. This article indicates that: (1) Geography, in conducting integrated research on human-nature systems and serving regional and global sustainable development processes, has innovatively proposed and developed theoretical frameworks such as social-ecological systems, pattern-process-service-sustainability, metacoupling, and Classification-Coordination-Collaboration. These research frameworks include elements of human-environment system interconnections, process coupling, spatial coupling, and systematic regulation oriented towards SDGs, forming a comprehensive theoretical framework supporting sustainable development research in Geography, also referred to as "sustainable geography theoretical framework". (2) Geography has made positive progress in supporting the United Nations SDGs research in areas such as multi-source data acquisition, localization of indicator systems and multi-scale progress assessment, analysis of inter-target linkage mechanisms, and SDG achievement pathways. Geography provides important theoretical and methodological support for SDG research. (3) Geography and sustainable development-related research mainly focus on climate-ecological crisis response, sustainable utilization of food-energy-water resources, regional development and planning, human well-being and social governance, and the construction of SDG assessment indicators and databases. (4) In future research, there is a need to innovate and develop sub-disciplines of Sustainable Geography, optimize the construction of SDGs indicator systems, develop SDGs assessment and decision-making models, strengthen artificial intelligence geography, deepen research on human-nature system coupling, and promote regional and global sustainable development in the process of advancing innovation in the discipline of Geography.

Understanding the spatial segregation and social integration of immigrants and local residents is highly significant in summarizing the historical experience of Chinese modernization. Additionally, it serves as a crucial foundation for promoting a people-centered new urbanization, fostering spatial fairness and justice, and achieving common prosperity. However, current research on residential spatial differentiation primarily focuses on analyzing the spatial distribution characteristics, differentiation patterns, and indicator calculations of various groups, and has limited investigation into social integration issues. This paper explores this social and spatial differentiation phenomenon in Hangzhou, usingthe initial residence registration information and mobile phone signalling data to analyze the characteristics and mechanisms of living space differentiation. Additionally, this article combines a small sample of questionnaires with a bottom-up exploration of social integration under spatial differentiation. From the research, four key findings emerge: (1) The majority of residents in the city are migrants. There is a clear difference in the distribution of living spaces between immigrants and local residents, with local residents mainly concentrated in the old city area, while the distribution of immigrants is more scattered. Compared to the typical "immigrant city" in the United States, Hangzhou has less spatial differentiation between immigrants and local residents. (2) The residential space differentiation between immigrants and local residents in the city presents a combination pattern of " multi-nuclei, sectoral, concentric zone". However, unlike the centrifugal diffusion trend of the local people in the United States, the local residents in Hangzhou tends to gather towards the center, while immigrants choose centrifugal diffusion and peripheral aggregation. (3) The spatial differentiation of living spaces is mainly caused by the competition for spatial resources between immigrants and local residents under urban expansion. However, behind the phenomenon of "local residents live in the old city", immigrants are no longer a disadvantaged group. Some intelligent new immigrants actively choose to live in high-quality peripheral areas. (4) The integration between immigrants and local residents is satisfactory, but it is more cautious about the issue of intermarriage. Additionally, residential spatial segregation has not had a negative impact on social integration. There are four main reasons for this. To begin with, the majority of the population consists of immigrants, and urban residents no longer pay attention to identity labels in their daily interactions. Besides, there is relatively little cultural difference within ethnic groups, and the assimilation between immigrants and local residents is increasing. And then, interactions between individuals in workplace and third place can alleviate the negative impacts caused by residential spatial segregation. Finally, China's coordinated development and people-oriented social system can also create favorable conditions for social integration.

In the post-Cold War era, the global landscape has evolved towards multipolarity, and the geostrategic behavior of states has gradually shifted away from the traditional binary model of "balancing-bandwagoning" to a more flexible and diverse one called hedging strategy, and it is the current strategy that the countries surrounding the South China Sea have adopted in response to China's actions. By introducing the hedging theory of international relations, we seek to understand, from a geopolitical perspective, how these geopolitical entities employ hedging strategies. First, an analytical framework is constructed to theorize hedging strategy, consisting of driving factors, mediating factors, and strategic choices. Second, the hedging intensity is assessed quantitatively via the geopolitical risk and the relative power index of the countries surrounding the South China Sea. The evolution of it is presented through a bivariate visualization method, and the various hedging patterns are classified by utilizing the quadrant diagram. Finally, both the theoretical framework and quantitative outcomes are validated by analyzing the strategic practices of the study region. We conclude that: (1) the geopolitical risks of the countries surrounding the South China Sea have been "tending to be stable but difficult to achieve" since the beginning of the 21st century, with significant heterogeneity among these countries. The evolution of state relative power exhibits a fluctuating trend, closely linked to U.S. intervention. (2) The hedging intensity of the countries surrounding the South China Sea results from the interaction between geopolitical risk and state relative power, leading to three distinct forms, represented by Vietnam and the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia and Brunei, respectively. (3) The intrinsic logic of the hedging strategies of these countries can be seen as a strategic cognition shaped by their threat awareness and national strategic orientation. This cognition then orientates diverse hedging approaches that guide these countries in applying either cooperative or competitive tools. By understanding the intensity and nature of the strategic hedging by the countries surrounding the South China Sea, we aim to provide a unique vantage point for China's regional governance in the South China Sea.

In the context of the increasingly severe global food crisis caused by multiple external factors, building a more productive, nutritious, resilient, and sustainable food security system to promote the transformation of the agricultural and food system had become more crucial, particularly because it is essential for stabilizing China's overall economic and social development. This paper was based on the perspective of the Nature-Society-Economy complex system. It divided the food security system into three levels: resources and environment, production and supply, and distribution and consumption. This paper constructed an index system based on the three-dimensional framework of Pressure-State-Response, employing provincial panel data from 2000 to 2021 to analyze the spatial and temporal spatial evolution characteristics of China's food security system transformation. A dynamic panel model was adopted to quantify the various driving factors related to the food security system transformation. The research results indicated the following: (1) The comprehensive index of food security system transformation from 2000 to 2021 increased by 97.90%, showing a two-stage change characteristic with a moderate rise from 2000 to 2012 and a rapid growth from 2013 to 2021. The transformation index of the resources and environment and the production and supply subsystems were consistent with the evolution of the comprehensive index of food security system transformation, also exhibiting a two-stage upward trend. The transformation index of the distribution and consumption subsystem showed a downward and then an upward trend. (2) The comprehensive index of provincial food security system transformation increased continuously from 2000 to 2021. The provinces that exceeded China's average shifted from a balanced distribution across the eastern, central, and western regions in 2000 to clustering in the main grain-producing areas in 2021. (3) The food security system transformation is an ongoing endeavor. The rate of urbanization, agricultural financing policies, birth rate, and dietary diversity index can significantly promote the transformation of the food security system. The transformation of the food security system can be seriously hampered by industrialization, relative returns from agricultural production, GDP growth rate, and per capita disposable income.

The driving force behind coordination is that the regional coordination policies can benefit the weak. Since the implementation of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development policy, its actual effect has been questioned. Some negative views suggest that this policy has only benefited Beijing and Tianjin, but has not promoted the development of Hebei. In response to this question, this paper takes the implementation of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development policy in 2015 as a natural experiment, using synthetic control method and panel data from 2010 to 2020, empirically evaluates the policy effect and spatial heterogeneity of this policy on economic growth, industrial structure optimization and air quality improvement of Hebei. Results indicate that: (1) The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development policy did not significantly drive the economic growth of Hebei, but promoted the optimization of industrial structure and the improvement of air quality, showing a trend of high-quality coordinated development. (2) The policy effect on prefecture-level cities of Hebei is different due to their distance from Beijing and Tianjin, showing a "center-periphery" diffusion pattern with Beijing and Tianjin as the core. (3) The cities close to Beijing have obtained obvious effect of industrial structure optimization, and the cities close to Tianjin have obtained obvious effect of economic growth. Cities around Beijing and Tianjin are significantly better than cities in southern Hebei in terms of air quality improvement. In the future, we need to view this policy with a new concept of high-quality development, scientifically promote the industrial transfer and undertaking within the urban agglomeration, and continuously consolidate the basic conditions for economic development of Hebei. It is also necessary to achieve spatial equity and adapt to local conditions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordination.

With the continuous development and application of information technology, online shopping has emerged as a significant force, bringing immense economic potential. The convenience offered by online shopping, such as the ability to shop anytime, anywhere, and access to a vast array of products, is reshaping consumer habits and expectations. Despite the continued growth of online shopping, the role of physical stores remains significant. Physical stores offer tangible benefits that online shopping often struggle to replicate. These include the ability to see, touch, and try products before purchasing, as well as the immediacy of taking items home without having to wait for shipping. The relationship between online shopping and physical shopping remains a hot topic in academia. Although there have been relevant studies in China, most of them are based on the survey data from individual communities or cities, lacking large-scale and long-term systematic research from a national perspective. Furthermore, there is a lack of heterogeneous comparisons between different regions. Drawing on large-scale time utilization survey data of 29 provincial-level regions in 2017 and 2021, this paper analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution of online shopping behavior and physical shopping behavior of China's residents, and examines the influence of online shopping on residents' physical shopping behavior. The results show that: (1) There are significant spatial differences in the characteristics of residents' online and physical shopping behaviors. The standard deviation ellipse of online shopping and physical shopping behavior shows an obvious "northeast-southwest" distribution pattern, with the gravity center gradually shifting northward during the study period. (2) In 2017, online shopping had a significant complementary effect on physical shopping. But in 2021, both complementary and neutral effects coexisted. (3) There are significant differences in the impact of online shopping on physical shopping between urban and rural residents, and residents among different regions. There is also a coexistence of complementary effects and neutral effects. This paper clarifies the relationship between online shopping and physical shopping in China, provides an in-depth understanding of the changes of urban space in the internet era, and helps promote the spatial transformation of physical commerce.

Music has the power to recreate place and awaken a sense of place. As a medium of communication, music combines the narrative characteristics of imagery, nostalgia, and localization. Songs named after place names and their comments have an image-based expression of the place, as well as a symbolic emotional mapping between the creator and the listener. Focusing on two music platforms, QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, this study considered songs related to Chengdu, used lyrics and comments as textual data, and conducted content analysis from the perspective of musical narration. It determined the degree of association between feature words through high-frequency word statistics and socio-semantic network analysis and constructed the dimensions of local imagery through rooting theory. The study also constructed a theoretical model of "local image construction based on music narration," analyzed the features of local image, and examined the relationship between music narration, local image, and city charm. The results indicate the following: (1) The local image of Chengdu in music narrative comprises three aspects: symbol presentation image, meaning-endowed image, and comprehensive expression image. Among these, symbol presentation image includes seven categories, while meaning-endowed image and comprehensive expression image each contain two categories. (2) Music narration can be categorized into the narration of songs and critical narration whereby listeners express their views under the influence of narrative transmission; narrative text has an impact on element cognition, emotional resonance and tone rendering in three aspects: narrative elements, structure and tone, so as to construct place image. The local image is specifically expressed as follows: based on narration elements such as character, time, place and environment, it connects the cognition of image elements such as character, time, space and landscape; through the narration structure of "I say to you" and "you listen to me," the emotional resonance is triggered after the individual role is substituted, forming emotional and intentional images; under the rendering of these narrative tones, combined with individual cognition and emotion, macroscopic atmosphere image and local characteristic image are formed. (3) The local image of Chengdu as narrated musically is characterized by the coexistence of tradition and modernity, the interaction between nature and humanity, and the sense of romance and "the feeling of home". 4) Music narration constructs the local image of "ideal home," "story tavern, " and "earthly life, " which become the charm of the city. This study connects music, narration, and place; addresses how music constructs local image; and introduces the perspective of narratology to expand the relationship between music and local image into a deeper mechanism. Simultaneously, the expression of the city image evolves from the spatial structure and symbolic perception to the place meaning level, conveying a sense of spatial temperature and bringing the space to life. Moreover, the model proposed in the study provides theoretical and methodological reference for the creation of charming cities, construction of local imagery, and image promotion.

The advent of information intelligence and spatiotemporal big data have significantly broadened the scope of application for geographic information systems (GIS), presenting both opportunities and challenges in the modeling of geographic scenarios. Current paradigms for organizing spatiotemporal data and conceptualizing spatial cognition predominantly rely on a bottom-up approach, which was demonstrated with limitation on low cognition and the fragmented representation of geospatial objects. This is a noteworthy research issue facing the Big Data era, namely the design of new representation models for the integration of objects and knowledge, as well as the collaborative computation of models and objects. This study, inspiring from Leibniz's relative spatiotemporal perspective, establishes an object space-based approach for organization and management of geographic scenarios. The concept of object space was proposed by reviewing the historical evolution of geographic scenarios representation model and literature work on mainstream research domain. Object space is the space of influence of an object, both the inner space of the object and the space of its surroundings. It includes pan spatiotemporal object, object space relationship, calculation and analysis process, which represents object, knowledge and model. For representing and management of object space, a hierarchical model was developed to organize pan spatiotemporal objects according to business requirement and spatial scale. Further, a network model was denoted to represent object space relationship and knowledge, in which node is the objects, and edge is the space relationship. Then, a model classification method based on functional and computational ability was used to organize calculation and analysis process models. Thus, a highly integrated and synergistic "data-knowledge-model" organization and management model was established. The proposed approach was applied in monitoring soil moisture in high-standard farmland in Shandong, which included 44 pan spatiotemporal objects, 2 object space relationship network models and 5 calculation and analysis process models. The results demonstrated its efficacy and feasibility in designing and implementing high-standard farmland intelligent automatic irrigation and drainage systems, thereby offered technical support for advancing theoretical research and expanding practical application in geographic scenarios.

In the wake of unprecedented global urbanization, an alarming trend of shrinking cities has emerged worldwide, presenting a profound challenge to conventional urban-regional planning approaches, primarily centered on growth scenarios. This trend has also bestowed upon Chinese geographers and urban and rural planning practitioners a new mandate in this evolving era. One region that exemplifies this predicament is Northeast China, experiencing the most severe population decline and the highest concentration of shrinking cities in the country. How to rationally recognize and properly deal with this phenomenon (or problem) of regional urban shrinkage has become the core scientific issue to be focused on in the comprehensive implementation of regional coordinated high-quality development, Chinese-style modernization of common prosperity for all and all-round revitalization of Northeast China in the new era. This paper delves into a logical speculation and practical discussion to understand the underlying causes and implications of regional urban shrinkage in Northeast China: Initially, it examines the original concept of regional shrinking cities within the context of urbanization, critically evaluating the rationality of such shrinkage in light of the broader national strategic objectives. Subsequently, the generation logic of regional urban shrinkage in Northeast China is explored through three key factors: the "pull" effect of regional spatial correlation, the "extrusion" effect of urban shrinkage at a regional level, and the "catalyst" effect of transportation and communication technology development in reducing the cost of factor flow. Moreover, this study draws on the market-led shrewd contraction theory and the government-led vitality regeneration governance logic. It takes into account the governance objectives of achieving "regional coordinated high-quality development, people-oriented new urbanization, efficiency and fairness, and comprehensive security concept". With a systematic perspective that considers scale heterogeneity, development context relevance, factor differentiation, and multidisciplinary integration, the paper outlines a governance model and strategy for addressing regional urban shrinkage in Northeast China. By emphasizing the alignment of governance approaches with national development goals, this research underscores that regional urban shrinkage goes beyond a mere outcome of market-driven population migration. The presence of underlying "market failures" severely impacts the vision of the five major securities (national defense, food, ecology, energy, industry) advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Northeast China region. The findings of this study offer valuable insights to guide Northeast China's pursuit of high-quality development and contribute to the region's revitalization efforts.

The relocation of urban administrative centers plays a crucial role in optimizing urban spatial structure and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and capabilities. A thorough analysis of the spatiotemporal patterns, driving mechanisms, and development trends of administrative center relocations in China is not only a practical necessity for supporting the modernization of national governance but also a foundational requirement for the standardization and scientific advancement of administrative center relocations. This study utilizes spatial analysis methods to comprehensively examine the relocation of administrative centers in cities at or above the prefecture level in China from 1978 to 2022. The results show that there have been 81 instances of administrative center relocations across the country since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s. These relocations peaked between 2003 and 2007 and showed significant regional disparities. These relocations are predominantly short-distance and mainly aimed at promoting the development of new urban districts, often resulting in a separation from the geographical center. The relocation of urban administrative centers is a complex process influenced by an interplay of multiple factors, including national policies, governmental guidance, power distribution, resource reallocation, and planning adjustments. The regulatory role of national policies and the guidance provided by city governments are critical components in this multidimensional negotiation. In the context of the current strict national regulation of administrative division adjustment, the relocation of urban administrative centers will continue to reinforce traditional driving factors while aligning with socio-economic and technological shifts, presenting new directions driven by ecological governance, transportation development, and the evolution of innovative industries. In the future, it is essential to carefully evaluate the necessity of relocation while maintaining the fundamental stability of administrative centers. Implementing top-level design for administrative center relocations, adhering to standardized approval processes, and rigorously evaluating the rationale are key to promoting all-encompassing urban advancement. This study provides a reference for scientifically understanding the patterns and intrinsic mechanisms of urban administrative center relocation.

Fostering coordination among the economy, society, resources and environment is a crucial requirement for high-quality urbanization. This work developed an indicator system for the degree of coordination involving urbanization-economy, urbanization-society, urbanization-resources and urbanization-environment based on the dynamic evolution of urbanization and time series analysis. Using counties as the statistical unit, the study investigated the spatiotemporal evolution process and impact mechanism of the multidimensional coordinated urbanization from 2000 to 2020 on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Urbanization-resource coordination was found to be the highest overall. The levels of coordination between urbanization-economy and urbanization-society were relatively low, whereas the coordination degree for urbanization-environment was moderate and essentially consistent. The measurements described above showed a convergent tendency between 2000 and 2020. The levels of coordination between Qinghai and southern Gansu generally decreased, and the rate of urbanization outpaced that of economic growth, placing significant strain on the environment and resources. The overall degree of coordination improved in Xizang, western Sichuan, and Yunnan, despite the fact that their individual coordination levels were on the decline. The regression findings showed that the industrial development, which is primarily influenced by the industrial structure, is a crucial element in enhancing the degree of urbanization-economy coordination. The financial capacity of the government has a significant impact on the degree to which urbanization and society are coordinated. As the scale of fiscal spending expands, it correspondingly rises the degree of coordination. Furthermore, economic development and government fiscal spending have a negative effect on the coordination degree of urbanization-resources and urbanization-environment. When industrial proportion and government fiscal spending capacity increase, the coordination degree of urbanization-resources and urbanization-environment declines, indicating the plateau's dilemma between economic development and environmental protection. However, if the industrial enterprises are primarily larger than the designated size and the scale of the center town agglomeration is enormous, it is conducive to strengthen the coordination degree of urbanization-resources and urbanization-environment.