How to break the resource and environmental constraints through effective resource management and promote the sustainable development of livelihoods is a key issue in current research. This paper first analyzes the interrelationship between the "water-energy-food" nexus and the livelihood transformation, as well as their respective connotations. On this basis, guided by the theory of complex adaptive systems, this paper systematically reveals the theoretical logic of their synergistic development from the "target dimension, subject dimension, spatial dimension, and temporal dimension", conducts an in-depth analysis of the practical dilemmas in their synergistic development, and further proposes practical paths for their sound synergy, while drawing on the theory of complex adaptive systems. The results show that: (1) The logical premise of the synergistic development of the "water-energy-food" nexus and the livelihoods transformation is the inherent consistency of the three major goals of economic development, ecological protection and social stability. In synergistic development, the adaptive behaviors of the government, enterprises and residents form a complex evolutionary mechanism based on their interests, and the complementary regional resources and spatial spillovers jointly shape the multi-level spatial pattern of synergistic development, while the nature of long-term development of the two highlights the dynamic evolutionary characteristics of synergistic development. (2) Influenced by multiple factors, the synergistic development of the "water-energy-food" nexus and livelihood transformation is confronted with practical predicaments such as the prominent contradiction between the goals of economic-ecological-social coordinated development, the difficulty in coordinating the interests of multiple stakeholders, regional development imbalance, and mismatch of time scales. (3) To promote the synergistic development of the "water-energy-food" nexus and livelihood transformation, it is necessary to: take technological progress as the core driving force, the concept of green development as the guiding principle, and industrial integration as the key nexus, thereby building a new economic development system characterized by the harmonious coexistence of "economy, ecology, and society"; clarify the positioning and division of labor among the government, enterprises, residents, and other multiple actors; adopt a multi-tiered system of constraints and balancing mechanisms to formulate regionally differentiated development pathways and promote cross-regional collaborative linkages; establish the main goals and actors for each stage of the "initialization, development, transformation, and synergization" process, as well as a mechanism for dynamic assessment and supervision of the entire life cycle.

Enhancing agricultural carbon emission efficiency has become a pivotal lever for advancing green development and high-quality transformation in agriculture. Agricultural new quality productive forces, aimed at comprehensively improving agricultural total factor productivity, provide endogenous impetus for promoting low-carbon agricultural transformation. Based on a super-efficiency SBM model, this study measures agricultural carbon emission efficiency for 30 Chinese provincial-level regions from 2011 to 2023, and employs fixed-effects, mediation, and moderation models to systematically examine the mechanisms through which agricultural new quality productive forces affect agricultural carbon emission efficiency. The results indicate that: (1) Agricultural new quality productive forces significantly enhance agricultural carbon emission efficiency. (2) Alleviating resource misallocation, promoting industrial structure upgrading, and advancing agricultural technological innovation serve as key transmission channels through which agricultural new quality productive forces improve agricultural carbon emission efficiency. (3) The level of fiscal support for agriculture exerts a positive moderating effect, such that stronger fiscal support amplifies the impact of agricultural new quality productive forces on agricultural carbon emission efficiency. (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the enhancement effect is more pronounced in regions with lower digital industry agglomeration and in western China. Accordingly, this study suggests strengthening policy support through an integrated approach combining technological empowerment, factor upgrading, and industrial coordination, so as to systematically foster agricultural new quality productive forces and achieve synergistic gains in agricultural carbon reduction, efficiency improvement, and green growth.

Transboundary governance is a critical determinant of regional coordinated development. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), operating under the unique "One Country, Two Systems" framework, is profoundly shaped by multiple intersecting boundaries, i.e., administrative, political, economic, and legal. These overlapping jurisdictional and institutional divides give rise to complex multi-scalar processes and mechanisms in transboundary water pollution governance. Existing environmental policies often exhibit varying degrees of "boundary failure", leading to recurrent and cyclical governance dilemmas that impede effective pollution control and ecological restoration. A review of the literature reveals that relevant research is gradually shifting from viewing boundaries as static entities toward understanding them as dynamic processes that produce socio-spatial heterogeneity. While significant attention has been paid to quantifying the intensity and manifestations of boundary effects, few studies have systematically integrated quantitative and qualitative approaches to dissect the characteristics, underlying mechanisms, and contextual factors of different types of boundary effects. More importantly, the role of rescaling as a theoretical lens remains underutilized, leaving the power dynamics and political-economic negotiations behind transboundary water governance inadequately examined. Furthermore, the intrinsic relationship between transboundary pollution’s boundary effects and the impediments to environmental collaborative governance has yet to be comprehensively investigated. Addressing these gaps, this study conducts a systematic review of the multiple boundary effects influencing transboundary water pollution in the GBA and assesses current research trends and practical needs in collaborative governance. Through the perspective of rescaling, it seeks to clarify a coherent theoretical and analytical framework encompassing boundary effect measurement, macro and micro mechanism analysis, theoretical generalization, and policy formulation. Methodologically, this study advocates a mixed-methods approach that synergistically combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. Proposed tools include: convergence regression equations to quantitatively assess the spatiotemporal distribution of transboundary water pollution boundary effects; a triple difference model to evaluate the macro-level impacts of key governance policies, and rescaling analysis to qualitatively investigate the strategic interactions, bargaining processes, and rescaling tactics among stakeholders in GBA water governance. By integrating these approaches, this study aims to elucidate how different types of boundaries, both tangible and intangible, shape transboundary water pollution outcomes through macro-structural and micro-agential pathways. Ultimately, it seeks to synthesize theoretical insights and practical policy recommendations for enhancing transboundary environmental governance under multi-boundary constraints in the GBA. This study contributes to interdisciplinary fields such as human-environment relationship science by offering a refined conceptual framework and integrated methodology. It also elaborates on the strategic, scholarly, and practical implications of applying a scale-sensitive, boundary-aware approach to transboundary environmental governance, with potential relevance for other mega-urban regions facing similar governance challenges.

Urban wilderness is increasingly recognized for its ecosystem services and potential to enhance well-being, yet the delicate balance between wild characteristics and human interventions remains under-explored. This study establishes a comprehensive framework integrating "Human Intervention Perception", "Wildness Perception", and "Well-being" to investigate their interaction mechanisms. Using Nanjing Laoshan National Forest Park as an empirical case, this study employed a mixed-methods approach, analyzing data from 435 valid questionnaires and qualitative fieldwork via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis to test relationships among variables and examine heterogeneity across visitor groups. The results reveal distinct pathways: (1) Regarding wildness perception, "Naturalness" and "Challenge" significantly promote multidimensional well-being. However, contrary to Western theories, "Remoteness" exhibits a negative association with spiritual well-being in the Chinese context, likely due to perceived insecurity and a cultural preference for "meaningful seclusion" rather than absolute isolation. (2) Human intervention exerts heterogeneous effects. "Management Services" act as a positive "soft power", indirectly enhancing physiological, psychological, and spiritual well-being by strengthening wildness perception. Conversely, "Environmental Design" negatively impacts well-being both directly and by weakening wildness perception. Interestingly, "Artificial Facilities" serve as visual anchors and provide necessary psychological security, thereby enhancing perceived wildness. (3) Significant differences exist between activity groups; the "Challenging Activity" group (e.g., hikers) prefers primitive conditions and is sensitive to over-design, whereas the "Conventional Activity" group relies on facilities for visual guidance and safety. This study refines the conceptualization of the tension between wildness and intervention, highlighting the necessity of achieving a dynamic equilibrium between ecological preservation and recreational usability. Based on the findings, a precise governance strategy of "Reducing Design, Adding Management, and Graded Adaptation" is proposed. These findings provide theoretical support and practical guidelines for the sustainable management of urban wilderness in high-density cities.

National parks are an important part of China's beautiful landscape, and evaluating natural landscape quality (NLQ) and assessing conservation effectiveness are key to their high-quality development. The NLQ evaluation index system in national parks is based on three dimensions: integrity, originality, and uniqueness. A counterfactual assessment model is constructed using the propensity score matching method to evaluate and compare the NLQ and its conservation effectiveness in Sanjiangyuan National Park and its buffer zones in 2016 and 2023.The results showed that: (1) The NLQ index of the study area and its two regulatory zones increased during the study period. Among these, the NLQ of the core protection area increased significantly, while that of the general control area increased less significantly. In terms of changes in individual landscape indices, all indices in the study area increased except for the landscape integrity index of the core protection area, which decreased slightly in 2023. (2) The NLQ index and the landscape integrity and originality as a whole showed similar characteristics in 2016 and 2023: high in the north and low in the south. The uniqueness of this distribution was manifested in the form of high scores in the east and low scores in the west. Compared with 2016, a large number of areas with an enhanced NLQ index appeared in the national park in 2023, especially in the east and south. (3) The establishment of the pilot national park system has significantly improved the NLQ, though the conservation effectiveness of different regulatory zones varied. While the NLQ has improved overall, there was local divergence. The results of the study can inform the scientific protection and adaptive management of the national park's natural landscape.

In the context of China’s deepening education reform and the ongoing advancement of ecological civilization, nature study education has emerged as a crucial platform that bridges formal schooling with ecological practice. However, existing research and practice in this field remain fragmented and experience-driven, lacking a systematic theoretical framework that integrates educational and ecological dimensions. So this study constructs an integrated “Nature-Education” conceptual model centered on a dual coupling mechanism between the natural resource system and the nature study education system. Drawing upon methods of literature review, logical deduction, and system modeling, this paper systematically examines the intrinsic logic, structure, and operational pathways of nature study education. Specifically, the study reveals that: (1) Nature study represents an integrated form of education and ecology, transforming natural resources into educational carriers through contextualized, embodied, and inquiry-based learning, thereby achieving the coordinated development of knowledge, competence, and values. (2) The dual coupling mechanism serves as the structural core of the system, wherein static natural resource systems and dynamic educational processes form feedback loops that drive mutual reinforcement between resource conservation and educational innovation. (3) The construction of the nature study system should adhere to the “whole process-whole elements-whole value” logic. The findings demonstrate that this systematic framework effectively bridges the gap between resource management and educational practice, providing a theoretical basis for the institutionalization and standardization of nature study education in China. Practically, the study offers a pathway for enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation, improving regional resource governance, and strengthening the educational function of natural ecosystems. By establishing an integrated and dynamic model of “Nature-Education” coupling, this study contributes to the theoretical enrichment of ecological education research and provides actionable insights for promoting sustainable and participatory models of nature study.

Regions rich in forest resources in China have long faced a development dilemma characterized by abundant ecological endowments but relatively weak economic performance. Alleviating the forest "resource curse" is therefore crucial for promoting balanced and coordinated regional development. Using provincial panel data from 2011 to 2023, this paper first measures the annual digital economy development index and the forest "resource curse" coefficient for each region, and then constructs two-way fixed effects, mediation effects and spatial Durbin models to empirically examine the direct, mediating and spatial spillover effects of the digital economy on the forest "resource curse". The main findings are as follows: (1) The digital economy significantly mitigates the forest "resource curse", with increasing marginal returns as the curse deepens, indicating that regions facing more pronounced "resource curse" problems gain relatively larger benefits from digital development. Its three dimensions—digital infrastructure, digital industrialization and industrial digitalization—all contribute to weakening the forest "resource curse" and unlocking the development potential of forest-rich regions. (2) The digital economy reduces the forest "resource curse" through three key transmission channels, namely by promoting the value realization of forest ecological products, driving technological innovation in forestry, and improving forestry human capital. (3) When the digital economy is decomposed into its core dimensions, industrial digitalization exerts a more pronounced mitigating effect on the forest "resource curse" than digital infrastructure construction and digital industrialization. Furthermore, the capacity of the digital economy to alleviate the forest "resource curse" is found to be noticeably stronger in the central region of China than in the eastern and western regions, thereby revealing a distinct pattern of regional heterogeneity in its impact. (4) The digital economy also shows a pronounced spatial spillover effect in alleviating the forest "resource curse", with its mitigation impact transmitted to geographically adjacent provinces through spatial linkages exceeding the direct alleviation effect observed within the province itself. Overall, the findings provide empirical evidence on how the digital economy reshapes the development path of forest-rich regions and offer useful policy implications for exploring coordinated pathways to reconcile ecological conservation with economic development amid rapid digital transformation.

In poverty-alleviated areas, the endogenous development momentum and the self-development ability of the poverty-alleviated people are limited, and there is a relatively high risk of large-scale return to poverty. Taking Y ethnic village in Yunnan province as an example, this paper constructs an analytical framework for achieving pre-event prevention of large-scale return to poverty through new endogenous development based on the actor-network theory. The study finds that due to the existence of multi-dimensional internal vulnerabilities, ethnic villages have shifted to the "blood-making" new endogenous development driven by industries. By constructing four-dimensional empowerment mechanisms of politics, ideology, interests, and talents, it has laid the institutional, ideological, economic, and subject foundations for pre-event prevention of large-scale return to poverty and realized the collaborative prevention of multiple subjects. Thus, the coordination effect based on the network coordinates internal and external forces to enhance the endogenous development momentum of the village, the diffusion effect based on the network improves the villagers' self-development ability through aspiration-boosting and intelligence-enhancing education, and the sharing effect realized by the interest-linking mechanism ensures the inclusiveness of new endogenous development, ultimately achieving pre-event prevention of large-scale return to poverty. This paper reveals the theoretical logic of realizing the new endogenous development of ethnic villages by reconstructing the actor network, extracts the practical logic of preventing the risk of large-scale return to poverty through new endogenous development, and hopes to provide empirical reference for poverty-alleviated villages to prevent large-scale return to poverty.

Rural differentiated transformation is a critical driver of common prosperity yet faces challenges in resource conversion and equitable benefit sharing. Integrating the "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" (hereafter referred to as the "two-mountains" concept) with a transaction cost perspective, this study examines how government-market synergy activates resource conversion. Drawing on the dynamic cyclical logic of the social-ecological systems framework, we construct an analytical framework comprising four dimensions, which included resource endowment, actor collaboration, conversion pathways and common prosperity effects, emphasizing their dynamic interactions. Empirical analysis of three suburban villages in Huzhou, Zhejiang, yields three key findings: (1) Transformation outcomes depend on rationally matching resource social embeddedness with governance structures. Low, medium, and high embeddedness generate distinct transaction costs (investment risks, coordination costs, and supervision costs), necessitating hierarchical, hybrid, and relational market governance, respectively. (2) Benefit distribution patterns are dictated by the governance structure's internal interest-linkage mechanisms. Loose, semi-loose, and tight linkages lead to trickle-down effects, disjointed sharing, and inclusive sharing, respectively, revealing the institutional trade-off between efficiency and equity. (3) Sustainable transformation relies on dynamic governance adaptation. Systems must calibrate governance boundaries and interest linkages based on feedback to mitigate endogenous risks and break negative path dependence. Theoretically, this study offers a micro-mechanism framework for rural transformation. It reframes the macro issue of government-market boundaries into a contextual, dynamic design problem, providing guidance for differentiated strategies to achieve common prosperity.

The urban-rural integration in cross-border areas of metropolitan regions faces challenges stemming from mismatched endowment allocations and constrained cross-border factor flows. The flow space is playing an increasingly dominant role in resource allocation and spatial organization. Drawing upon the perspective of flow-form coupling, this study constructs an assessment framework to evaluate the performance of urban-rural integration networks, encompassing three core modules: identification of urban and rural endowments, construction of functional-spatial connection networks, and spatial pattern performance assessment. An empirical analysis is conducted in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan green heart area (CZTGHA). The findings reveal the following: (1) The precise functional complementarity and free exchange of elements constitute the two most critical relational mechanisms driving urban-rural integration in cross-border regions of metropolitan areas, giving rise to a flow-form dual structure encompassing both functional linkages and spatial configurations. The coordinated evolution and deep coupling of these mechanisms fundamentally shape the spatial performance of urban-rural integration. (2) Urban endowments exhibit a pronounced multi-polar and networked development trend, whereas rural endowments have experienced significant decline in peri-urban zones and along regional development corridors, with a tendency toward homogenized development paths. (3) Urban-rural spatial linkages in the study area are characterized by imbalance, and cross-border functional interactions between urban and rural areas face administrative boundary constraints, presenting a core-periphery pattern. (4) The performance of urban-rural integration in the CZTGHA is markedly higher than that observed in peripheral rural units. In 2024, 64% of spatial units in the study area were constrained by weak spatial linkages, while 52% suffered from inadequate functional connections. Flow-form mismatch constitutes a fundamental cause underlying the low urban-rural integration performance in these marginal areas. This research contributes theoretically to enriching the understanding of the inherent laws governing urban-rural integration, as well as provides epistemological and methodological references for the territorial spatial governance of metropolitan areas.

Exploring the evolutionary process of realizing the value of ecological products under collaboration between government and social organizations is crucial for advancing the transformation of "Two Mountains" and promoting coordinated regional development and common prosperity. Taking Qingshan village in Zhejiang province as a case study, this research systematically analyzes the evolution and endogenous logic of ecological product value realization under collaboration between government and social organizations based on actor-network theory. Findings reveal that: (1) Social organizations have transcended their traditional role as a supplementary role to government, and collaboration between government and social organizations effectively activates the endogenous driving force for realizing ecological product value. (2) The value realization process involves two stages: value manifestation and value deepening. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) plays a pivotal role, while the influence of local governments and social professionals within the network gradually increases, with the industrialization of ecology continuously releasing green dividends. (3) Qingshan village's ecological prosperity stems from the synergistic interplay of three logics: "ecology as foundation, power coordination, and benefit sharing". (4) Future efforts to further activate the endogenous vitality of ecological product value realization should focus on reshaping governance roles, deepening property rights reforms, implementing adaptive governance, and prioritizing shared benefit mechanisms.

This study examines the pathways to urban-rural common prosperity in key ecological function zones, using Guangdong's Wanlyu Lake Green Development Zone as a case area. Guided by the "two mountains" theory (lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets), we developed an analytical framework integrating "production-living-ecological" functions. Employing a mixed-methods approach—combining entropy weighting, a coupling coordination degree model, and semi-structured interviews—we identified distinct prosperity models and their endogenous drivers. Key findings indicate that: (1) Significant spatial disparities in common prosperity levels across townships in 2023, characterized by a dominant urban core and a declining north-south gradient. (2) The coupling coordination of the three functions exhibits marked geographical heterogeneity, delineating three synergistic models: symbiotic harmony, synergistic value added, and development-livability. (3) These models represent distinct pathways to common prosperity, driven respectively by production-led livelihood sharing, eco-centric quality of life, and value conversion from ecological assets. (4) Endogenous dynamics are fueled by a triple-driver mechanism—resource transformation, factor circulation, and spatial restructuring—which synergistically enhances prosperity and fosters integrated urban-rural development. This research provides a systematic framework for understanding and promoting sustainable prosperity in ecologically constrained regions.

The empowerment of ecological civilization construction by artificial intelligence has emerged as a pivotal pathway for advancing regional sustainable development. Drawing on the policies of Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Development Pilot Zones, this study employs the difference-in-differences method and utilizes panel data of 282 prefecture-level and above cities spanning the period from 2011 to 2023 to empirically investigate the mechanism through which artificial intelligence technology application influences the value transformation efficiency of ecological products. The key findings are summarized as follows: (1) The application of artificial intelligence technology exerts a significantly positive impact on the regional value transformation efficiency of ecological products, which is primarily mediated by strengthening public environmental attention, facilitating green technological innovation, enhancing ecological governance capacity, and driving industrial upgrading. (2) Heterogeneity analysis reveals the "compensation effect" of artificial intelligence application, namely, the promotional effect of artificial intelligence technology application is more pronounced in cities with relatively poor ecological environments. (3) In comparison with artificial intelligence innovation-driven development, the industrialization of artificial intelligence exerts a more significant facilitating effect on the value transformation efficiency, indicating that the commercial application of technology constitutes a critical link in realizing the effective transformation of ecological value.

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the integration of the digital economy and the real economy has been elevated to a new strategic level. Tourism, as an emerging strategic pillar industry, has become the forefront for the application of AI technology. In recent years, China has introduced a series of policies, further clarifying the application scenarios and governance models of AI in the tourism industry, providing important institutional guarantees for the digital and intelligent development of the tourism industry. At the same time, the national level has carried out the construction of new-generation information infrastructure represented by data centers and intelligent computing centers, promoting the accelerated circulation and value release of tourism data elements, and making the digital transformation of the tourism industry a reality. Integration of culture and tourism is an important national strategy. As a new production factor, AI constantly breaks down the boundaries of the cultural and tourism industries, reshapes the logic of tourism production and consumption, and accelerates the formation of new quality productive forces characterized by cross-border cooperation and scenario innovation, thereby promoting the development of integration of culture and tourism. However, problems such as data barriers and algorithm biases restrict the improvement of the efficiency and quality of integration of culture and tourism. This paper, based on the new era background, conducts in-depth discussions on the characteristics, real challenges, governance mechanisms and innovation paths of the era of AI empowering the high-quality development of integration of culture and tourism. The research findings are as follows: (1) AI empowering the high-quality development of integration of culture and tourism presents the characteristics of cross-scenario integration and diversified value creation; (2) The key points for the construction of the high-quality development system of integration of culture and tourism in the era of AI lie in factor integration, structural synergy and institutional innovation; (3) The core of the governance of integration of culture and tourism lies in building a data-driven collaborative community to achieve co-governance and sharing among multiple stakeholders. This paper not only helps to further deepen the theoretical connotation of integration of culture and tourism in the era of AI, but also provides useful references for scientific decision-making by relevant departments.

In-depth exploration of the integration and innovation of cultural and tourism resources and the construction of a new consumption system is of profound significance for achieving high-quality development of the cultural and tourism industry, meeting people's aspirations for a better life, and promoting high-quality economic growth in China. By synthesizing diverse expert perspectives, several key issues emerge that require focused attention: (1) The integrated innovation of cultural and tourism resources provides a diverse product supply for new consumption, while new consumption guides the direction of innovation and value realization for cultural and tourism integration. A virtuous cycle mechanism has formed between the two, characterized by "consumption upgrading→resource integration→product innovation→industrial value addition". (2) Systematically advancing the deep alignment of integrated innovation in cultural and tourism resources with national strategies can not only cultivate new economic growth points but also provide important support for building a new dual-cycle development pattern. Future research should further deepen exploration across three dimensions: theoretical construction, evaluation systems, and practical focus. (3) While leveraging the positive role of digital technologies such as the metaverse in resource integration and product innovation, it is also necessary to guard against the potential risks of alienation that technological empowerment may bring. This requires a joint effort from the supply side's technological rationality and the demand side's conceptual education to collectively steer technology toward a human-centered and value-driven direction. Future research needs to construct a three-tier "macro-meso-micro" analytical framework to deeply investigate micro-level aspects such as individual consumer behavior characteristics and innovation practices of small and micro enterprises, thereby achieving a virtuous cycle between theoretical research and practical innovation.

Currently, global urban-rural development is undergoing a paradigm shift from unidirectional urbanization to the bi-directional flow of factors between urban and rural areas. Driven by the Rural Revitalization Strategy, the trend of youth-to-rural migration continues to strengthen, yet academia still lacks a systematic explanation of the mechanisms underlying this behavior. Employing the "Information-Motivation-Behavior" (IMB) model as a theoretical framework, this study empirically investigates the behavioral logic of the youth migrating to the rural areas, drawing on survey data from 1282 respondents across 27 provincial-level regions in China between 2023 and 2025. Findings indicate that youth-to-rural migration follows a systematic pathway of "information stimulation-motivation reconstruction-behavioral selection", rather than isolated individual decisions. Regarding the information dimension, endogenous information exerts a significant negative influence on motivation but positively impacts behavioral conversion; exogenous information strongly stimulates migration motivation yet carries risks of mismatch with real-world scenarios, with awareness of rural policy systems demonstrating the most pronounced incentive effect. The motivational structure is characterized by "life rationality outweighing instrumental rationality", where life-oriented motivations (e.g., family companionship, ecological environment) significantly outweigh work-oriented motivations (e.g., job seeking). Furthermore, clear and stable motivations serve as key factors in transforming intention into actual behavior. Accordingly, this research proposes governance strategies to support and encourage youth migration to rural areas across three dimensions: optimizing information supply, enhancing rural living quality, and broadening local development pathways. This study provides theoretical foundations and practical references for facilitating two-way flows of urban-rural factors and strengthening talent support for rural revitalization.

As one of the earliest and most severely aging regions in China, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) exhibits a prominent spatial mismatch between population aging and pension resources. Using population and socio-economic data from 41 cities in the YRD for 2010 and 2020, this paper applies the spatial mismatch model to analyze the evolution of the spatial mismatch between population aging and pension resources, identifies city-level development patterns, and employs the optimal parameter-based geographical detector to reveal changes in the driving mechanisms underlying this mismatch. The results show that: (1) The population aging degree and the level of pension resources in the study area are on the rise, with the population aging increasing far faster than the pension resources. The population aging level is relatively high in Eastern Jiangsu province and Southern Anhui province. High-level pension resources are concentrated in developed cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing, while third- and fourth-tier cities have lower levels. (2) The spatial mismatch in the region is evident, showing a pattern of "positive mismatch-positive and negative alternation-negative mismatch" from northwest to southeast. The number of cities with severe mismatch (experiencing a severe surplus or severe shortage of pension resources) and moderate mismatch (experiencing a moderate surplus or moderate shortage of pension resources) has decreased, while the number of cities with slight mismatch (experiencing a slight surplus or slight shortage of pension resources) has increased. (3) The degree of spatial mismatch is jointly shaped by multiple factors and their interactions. Among these, the impact of demographic factors is gradually declining, while the influences of policy, economic, and social factors are increasing significantly. The explanatory power of both the elderly dependency ratio and per capita general public budget expenditure is enhanced when they interact with other factors. The study provides scientific evidence and policy reference for promoting the spatial coordinated development of population aging and pension resources in the YRD.

How institutional arrangements enable value co-creation in the ecological restoration of legacy abandoned mining areas through multi-stakeholder participation remain systematically under-researched. Grounded in value co-creation theory and Williamson's institutional framework, this study develops an analytical model comprising cultural values, the institutional environment, and governance structures. It then applies fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to 32 typical restoration cases in China to investigate the configurational effects of institutional elements such as public environmental awareness, stringency of environmental regulation, clarity of property rights, technological support, green finance, and public fiscal support. The study reveals that high value co-creation emerges from multiple institutional pathways, including a cognition-driven pathway with financial-fiscal synergy, a cognition-driven pathway with regulatory reinforcement, a fiscal-led pathway with cognitive-technological synergy, a technology-led pathway with financial support, and a dual-driven pathway of technology and regulation, thus demonstrating significant equifinality and contextual adaptation. Across these pathways, Across these pathways, institutional elements function as core and peripheral conditions, exhibiting both complementarity and functional substitutability. Based on these findings, the paper proposes legal safeguards in three areas: strengthening public participation and environmental information disclosure systems; improving property rights definition and environmental regulation regimes; and building fiscal, financial, and technological support mechanisms, thereby providing implications for institutional refinement and policy practice.

High-standard farmland construction is an effective measure to promote the transformation of agricultural production and operation modes and accelerate the construction of a strong agricultural nation. Based on survey data from 1,130 farming households in Shandong and Hebei provinces, this study employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Instrumental Variables (IV), and a moderating effect model to empirically analyze the triple farmland scale management effects of high-standard farmland construction from the systematic perspective of plot scale, management scale and contiguous scale. The research finds that: (1) High-standard farmland construction can expand plot size, increasing the average plot area per household by 31.8% and correspondingly reducing the number of plots by 1.431. (2) High-standard farmland construction can improve agricultural production efficiency, promote the scaling, standardization, and marketization of farmland transfer, thereby incentivizing farmers to expand their operational scale of farmland. (3) High-standard farmland construction facilitates specialized crop planting among farmers and encourages convergent planting in surrounding plots, thus effectively driving contiguous scale management. (4) The scale management effects are more pronounced for farmers with a junior high school education or above, those who have received agricultural technical training, those with larger initial contracted land areas, those who have completed land tenure confirmation, members of agricultural cooperatives, and those in plain areas or in Shandong. Regular maintenance of project facilities helps strengthen the triple farmland scale management effects of high-standard farmland construction.

In the context of the transformation of national spatial planning and the high-quality development of manufacturing industry, the intensive redevelopment of low-efficiency industrial land in urban areas has become a key path to break the constraints of land resources. The existing research lacks a systematic exploration of the governance mechanisms for "industrial to industrial" and multi-scale redevelopment in small and medium-sized cities. Based on the perspective of property rights reconstruction hierarchy, this article constructs an analytical framework of "resource allocation-governance mechanism-internal logic", and analyzes the adaptation mechanisms of property rights allocation and governance structure for three types of redevelopment: individual plots, integrated types, and contiguous redevelopment. Research has found that governance structures need to be adapted to the hierarchy of property rights restructuring, and transaction costs are the core parameter for structural selection. The intensity of government intervention increases with the increasing public nature of property rights. Taking Wenling city as a case study, the diversified models of independent transformation, joint development, and industrial real estate formed by it have verified that institutional innovation based on property rights governance can reduce transaction costs and promote collaborative participation. The research provides a theoretical framework and practical reference for the redevelopment of low-efficiency industrial land in urban areas, helping to achieve the synergy between an "effective market" and a "proactive government".

The "short-term project funding" model of rural human settlement governance often fails to achieve sustainable outcomes due to the disconnect between construction and maintenance, insufficient villager participation, and excessive reliance on external resources, making the establishment of a long-term governance mechanism imperative. This article takes four villages in Fujian as research subjects and, through multi-case comparison, systematically analyzes the practical mechanisms of rural human settlement governance under the new endogenous approach. The study finds that although the four villages developed different paths due to variations in resource endowments and governance starting points, they all broke away from external dependency by constructing an integrated framework of "subject activation-structure reconstruction-resource integration-institutional guarantee". This framework ensures governance sustainability through the activation of villager agency, reshaping of multi-stakeholder collaborative structures, creative transformation of resources, and institutional development integrating" three governance approaches", with the incorporation of digital technology and ecological capital further enhancing governance resilience. Therefore, systematic measures such as strengthening subject capacity building, optimizing collaborative governance structures, and establishing resource conversion and funding mechanisms are needed to enhance the resilience of the new endogenous governance. The research provides a theoretical framework and practical paradigm for the long-term governance of rural human settlements, echoing the core propositions of endogenous development and empowerment theory.

Global climate change poses a severe threat to the stable operation of energy systems by intensifying the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Based on the hazard-disaster-emergency response system framework, this paper systematically elucidates the risk transmission mechanism of natural disasters to energy production and transmission/distribution systems under climate change and analyzes the differentiated threats to traditional energy, renewable energy, and grid networks. The research reveals a significant spatial overlap between China's energy infrastructure and high-risk zones for natural disasters, exposing systemic climatic vulnerabilities. Case studies of the 2021 Texas freeze, the 2021 Henan floods, and the 2022 European heatwave and drought further uncover new climate risks that exceed historical engineering design standards. In response, this paper constructs a three-dimensional defense framework integrating technology, space, and institutions. Technologically, it enhances systemic resilience through intelligent monitoring, risk assessment, and microgrid coordination. Spatially, it reduces risk exposure via layout optimization and regional synergy. Institutionally, it strengthens top-level governance through legal regulations and coordinated governance mechanisms. Finally, the paper identifies four critical research priorities: enhancing operational resilience under extreme climates, promoting cross-regional coordination for renewable energy, conducting comprehensive risk assessments for energy siting, and establishing security mechanisms addressing the confluence of climate and geopolitical risks. This study aims to provide a theoretical foundation for building a highly resilient energy system.

The path evolution of regional professional markets holds significant implications for achieving high-quality regional development. Taking Bozhou Herbal Chinese Medicine Professional Market as a case study, this study examines the evolution mechanism of regional professional markets in the context of a complex environment from the perspective of multiple actors, based on field interviews and survey data. Findings reveal that: (1) Local farmers, grassroots governments, management companies, and Kangmei Pharmaceutical emerged as pivotal actors at distinct stages. Through derivative, agglomeration, and coordination mechanisms, they respectively spearheaded three upgrade phases of Bozhou Herbal Chinese Medicine Professional Market. (2) The evolution process of regional professional markets is the result of the mutual influence, differentiation and competition, as well as the collaborative efforts of multiple actors such as key players and important participants, leading to the formation of interest alliances. (3) The evolution of Bozhou Herbal Chinese Medicine Professional Market reflects path dependence, essentially an iterative "creation-development and locking-unlocking" process shaped by the combined influence of diverse actors. (4) The innovative model of institutional restructuring and transformative development led by diverse s significantly influences regional specialized markets' ability to break negative path lock-in and create new paths. Finally, this study explores potential future path upgrade directions for Bozhou Herbal Chinese Medicine Professional Market.

Identifying suitable development areas for outdoor ski resorts and assessing climate change impacts are of great significance for promoting sustainable development of snow and ice tourism. Based on multi-source data including ski resort information obtained from the OpenSkiMap platform, this study employed GIS spatial analysis and the SkiSim 2.0 model to examine ski resorts in 15 typical regions of China. The research aimed to identify ski resort development areas that meet tourism industry standards, classify development potential types, simulate future climate change impacts on outdoor ski resorts, and identify different development patterns under climate change. The findings reveal that: (1) Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces h natural resource foundations capable of supporting large-scale ski resort cluster development, while the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia are suitable for medium-scale ski resort layouts, and Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Gansu have extensively distributed areas suitable for small-scale ski resort development. (2) Ski resort development potential zones can be classified into five categories: comprehensive advantage areas, resource-support advantage areas, resource-market advantage areas, support-market advantage areas, and comprehensive disadvantage areas. (3) Under future climate change impacts, ski resorts in North China and Central China will face substantially increased artificial snowmaking demands, while ski resort operations in Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, and Hebei will remain relatively stable. (4) Ski resorts located in areas with high population density and high climate exposure require prioritized risk prevention and control under climate change, while areas with high population density but low climate exposure, as well as those of high concern yet low exposure present key priority development targets. This research provides a scientific basis for enhancing climate adaptation capacity in ski tourism and optimizing industrial spatial layout.

The ski tourism industry exhibits increasing dependence on water and energy resources. This study utilizes an Environmental Extended Multi-regional Input-output (EE-MRIO) model and the Tapio decoupling model to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution of the water-energy footprints and economic decoupling effects of China's ski tourism industry in 2015, 2019, and 2023. The findings indicate that: (1) The national ski tourism water-energy footprint first increases and then declines. Spatially, the water footprint is predominantly concentrated in the Northwest, Northeast, and North China regions, alongside rapid growth in southern areas. Meanwhile, energy footprint exhibits destination-specific gradient expansion and source-region clustering. (2) From a sectoral linkage perspective, the water footprint displays structural characteristics of upstream sector concentration, differentiated core sectors, and external derivative sector penetration. The energy footprint is primarily driven by upstream and core sectors. (3) The spatial mismatch between supply and demand is evident, with the water-energy footprints creating a spatial flow pattern characterized by outward exports from East China and load-bearing in Northwest China. (4) The water footprint is predominantly characterized by strong decoupling, whereas the energy footprint exhibits weak decoupling. The water-energy footprints associated with ski tourism demonstrates spatial spillover effects and industry transmission characteristics, necessitating cross-regional responsibility sharing and hierarchical management of industrial chains to promote green transformation.

As ice and snow tourism resources become increasingly abundant, tourists' experiential demands have grown more diversified and sophisticated. However, existing studies remain limited in their systematic examination of the internal structure of ice and snow tourism experiences, as well as the differentiated characteristics among tourist groups. Guided by the event experience scale proposed by DeGeus et al. as the theoretical framework, this study constructs a multidimensional experience structure for ice and snow tourism. Quantitative data are extracted from user-generated online travel narratives related to ice and snow tourism. Cluster analysis and chi-square tests are employed to examine differences among tourist types in terms of individual characteristics and destination attributes of tourists. The results yield three main findings. First, the experience structure of ice and snow tourism comprises four core dimensions: physical engagement, affective engagement, cognitive engagement, and experiencing novelty. This structure highlights the embodied interaction between tourists and the ice and snow tourism context, underscoring the prominent role of bodily participation in shaping tourism experiences. Second, according to the experience structure, ice and snow tourists can be classified into six distinct types: novelty-seeking explorers, leisure and entertainment seekers, diversified experience seekers, body-mind immersion seekers, exploratory knowledge seekers, and emotion-cognition resonance seekers. Significant differences are observed among these tourist types with regard to gender distribution, tourist source, travel companions, and experience situation. These findings reveal pronounced heterogeneity within the ice and snow tourism market and demonstrate the necessity of differentiated experience design and management strategies. The study deepens the understanding of the mechanism of ice and snow tourism experience generation from an embodied perspective, and expands the application of event experience scale in tourism research. The findings also provide empirical evidence to inform ice and snow tourism product development, experience optimization, and market segmentation, offering valuable insights for achieving experience-oriented and high-quality development of ice and snow tourism destinations.

Driven by the "Southward Expansion, Westward Outreach, and Eastward Advancement" strategy, China's ice-snow tourism industry has developed rapidly, gradually transforming from a regional activity into a nationwide consumption hot spot. Short-video platforms, as a core arena for shaping its image and carrying out targeted promotion, present a north-south regional cultural divergence in user comments that urgently requires in-depth research. This study employs the Structural Topic Model (STM) to analyze 218656 ice-snow tourism video comments collected from TikTok, incorporating the north-south China as a covariate. A total of 15 topics are extracted and further clustered into four core dimensions: project experience, initial impression, emotional resonance and tourist perceived value. By integrating sentiment analysis and the likelihood of receiving likes, the study quantifies the differentiation patterns between northern and southern users across comment topics. The results indicate that: (1) In terms of thematic distribution, southern users concentrate more on the "emotional resonance" and "initial impression" dimensions, emphasizing perceptual experience, whereas northern users focus more on "tourist perceived value" and "project experience", reflecting a rational-critical orientation. (2) Regarding emotional expression, southern users exhibit a more positive overall sentiment; northern users show negative sentiment in the "tourist perceived value" dimension, yet display more positive sentiment in videos with emotional appeal and without voiceover. (3) In terms of dissemination effect, southern comments receive higher likelihood of being liked across all dimensions, suggesting that their expressive style is more likely to trigger broad emotional resonance. By dissecting the north-south divergence in ice-snow tourism comments, the research deepens the understanding of cross-regional cultural interactions and the negotiation of consumption values, offering valuable references for formulating image‑promotion strategies and coordinated regional cultural communication in ice-snow tourism.

In recent years, as ice and snow tourism has become more popular, large-scale indoor ski resorts have started to play an important role in snow-related leisure and consumption. Unlike outdoor ski destinations, which depend on natural conditions and seasons, indoor ski resorts provide a stable and fully controlled environment that allows skiing all the year round. However, most current research still focuses on outdoor ski resorts, while indoor ski resorts have received little academic attention. In particular, there has been little work on identifying and testing the key attributes of large-scale indoor ski resorts, which leaves a lack of systematic frameworks and measurement tools for this new type of destination. This study addresses the gap by using three large indoor ski resorts in Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Chengdu as case sites. Through empirical research, we developed a framework that includes six main dimensions: daily service management, snow trails, lifts and conveyor belts, instructors, surrounding facilities, and safety assurance. To test the framework, we built and examined an "attribute-experience-behavioral intention" path model. The results show that these six dimensions can effectively predict visitors' experiences, such as physical experience, positive emotions, immersive feelings, and overall satisfaction, as well as their future intentions to revisit and recommend the resort. The study makes contributions in several ways. First, it expands destination attribute theory to artificial and highly controlled environments, which broadens its application beyond natural settings. Second, it provides a clear and tested measurement tool that future research can use in different skiing contexts. Third, it gives useful insights for practice. The results suggest that operators should focus on the quality of snow trails, the efficiency and safety of lifts and conveyor belts, and strong safety systems. At the same time, well-trained instructors and good surrounding facilities are also essential. In addition, managers should design differentiated service strategies for visitors with varying skill levels, so as to enhance experiences and increase satisfaction. This study identifies the core attributes of large-scale indoor ski resorts and reveals how these attributes shape visitors' experiences and behavioral intentions. The results not only contribute to the growing literature on ski tourism in artificial environments but also provide direct guidance for improving the management and services of indoor ski resorts.