Narrowing the gap of regional economic development and maintaining the balanced development path is the indispensable goals of China's regional coordinated development. In this study, the nighttime light image data and GDP statistical data are integrated to construct the Genuine Economic Index (GEI). Based on GEI, the Theil index, scale variance model, and the spatial filtering model are combined to analyze the spatial and temporal evolution of China's regional economic discrepancy from a multi-scale perspective. The results show that: (1) China's absolute regional economic differences expanded year by year, while the relative regional economic differences tended to shrink overall from 2000 to 2020. (2) Under different regional divisions, the scale variance of China's regional economy is manifested as municipal scale > county scale > provincial scale > regional scale, with the largest increase and highest contribution rate on the municipal scale. Narrowing inter-municipal gap is the key to decrease China's regional economic differences. (3) The contribution rate of spatial autocorrelation increased from 23.804% to 26.079% during 2000-2020. Regardless of spatial autocorrelation factors will lead to an overestimation of China's regional economic differences. (4) The impact of spatial autocorrelation on regional economic differences is scale sensitive, the smaller the spatial scale is, the stronger the sensitivity is. After spatial filtering, inter-county economic differences have been the largest part of China's regional economic differences. (5) Human capital, industrial structure, consumption scale and fiscal decentralization have a significant positive impact on China's Genuine Economic Index, however these factors show an obvious regional heterogeneity. This study could provide a multi-scale, refined and differentiated reference for the implementation of China's regional coordinated development strategy.

With the advancement of urbanization and the profound transformation of socio-economic development in China, land use transition has become a complex research field involving multiple disciplines and dimensions. This paper comprehensively uses bibliometric analysis and systematic review methods to systematically sort out the research progress of land use transition in China from following dimensions: development context, theoretical framework, model and methodology, effect and mechanism, and regulation path. The study finds that: (1) Since the introduction of land use transition research to China in 2001, the field has flourished in the aspects of project funding, publication of monographs, and talent cultivation. Through hotspot analysis, it is found that research has shifted from being technology-driven to policy and economic-driven, and finally focused on multi-functional synergy and sustainable development. (2) Theoretical research can be divided into three levels: description-explanation, process characterization and diagnosis, and mutual feedback mechanism and regulation, forming a research paradigm of "dominant morphology-recessive morphology" coupling. The transition measurement method presents a three-dimensional characteristic of integration of 3S technology, mathematical model simulation, and field investigation. (3) Driven by the dual strategies of rural vitalization and food security, the socio-economic effects of land use transitions are manifested as a cascading response of farmers' livelihoods, factor flow, and industrial upgrading; related ecological and environmental effects show the bidirectional characteristics of negative effects and positive synergistic effects. (4) The driving mechanism of land use transitions is analyzed from the "element-structure-system" perspective, and its regulation system is discussed from multiple dimensions such as engineering technology innovation, institutional innovation, policy intervention, and multi-dimensional collaborative governance. (5) Future research needs to focus on breakthroughs in multi-scale transition threshold identification, complex system feedback simulation, regional model extraction, and optimization and regulation of transition through theoretical and methodological innovations. This study provides not only knowledge support for the construction of a land use transition research theoretical system with Chinese characteristics, but also decision-making support for the modernization of national territorial space governance and urban-rural integrated development.

Alluvial fans are common fan-shaped depositional landforms that develop at the outlets of mountain rivers or gullies. Mature and stable alluvial fans are important areas for both human habitation and production in mountainous regions, but they also pose potential hazards associated with flash floods and debris flows. Research on alluvial fans enhances our understanding of regional environmental dynamics and geomorphic evolution, as well as contributes to the mitigation of flood and debris-flow hazards. Therefore, it holds significant scientific value and practical importance. Although considerable research has been conducted on alluvial fans, both domestically and internationally, in recent decades, much of it has focused on geomorphology (morphometry), sedimentary history and characteristics, and historical environmental reconstruction (or inversion). Investigations into the mechanisms of fan development and their geomorphic effects remain relatively underexplored. This review systematically summarizes the key advancements in the research on the dynamic processes, mechanisms, and morphodynamics of alluvial fan development. We first provide an overview of current technical approaches applied in the study of alluvial fans, including field investigations and model experiments. Then, we summarize four critical aspects of fan dynamics processes and development mechanisms: primary and secondary processes; mechanisms of flow channel avulsion; interactions between tributary and main rivers; and the impact of alluvial fan development on sediment production, transport, and geomorphic processes. Finally, we discuss several areas that require further attention in future research. Currently, field observations and monitoring of the dynamic processes of alluvial fan development are inadequate. As an essential complement to post-event field surveys and experimental model research, there is an urgent need to enhance field observations in order to expand and deepen our understanding of alluvial fan development mechanisms. This will promote scientific insights into sediment dynamics and geomorphic processes within regional river systems.

As an important aspect of the notion that "spatial is special", spatial heterogeneity has been a central topic of geospatial analytics. It is also closely related to the methodological tradition of geography and replicability of geographic research. The emergence of fine-grained big geospatial data and the development of Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) have brought new opportunities and challenges to spatial heterogeneity modeling. Spatial heterogeneity may refer to (1) values of geographic variables; and (2) associations, or the generation process of geographic variables, which correspond to data and process heterogeneity, respectively. Moreover, the specification of spatial heterogeneity may be categorized as continuous and discrete. Based on the dichotomies above, we summarize the main scenarios of spatial heterogeneity modeling and review corresponding methods: (1) homogeneity-based regionalization; (2) local spatial regression; and (3) spatial regime regression. In particular, we discuss approaches to delineate spatial regimes in an endogenous manner. We also review related methodological advances in GeoAI, where the principle of spatial heterogeneity is reflected in the design of neural network models. Finally, we point out several potential directions for future research. As emerging directions in spatial heterogeneity modeling, spatial regime regression and GeoAI methods need more attention from researchers.

The low-carbon transformation of the energy system has emerged as a key strategy for addressing climate change risks, promoting high-quality development, and ensuring energy security. However, the clean transformation of the energy system faces significant uncertainties and challenges due to the complex constraints of multiple goals. This paper provides a comprehensive review and integrated analysis of the basic concepts, research methods, and challenges associated with energy transformation, drawing the following conclusions: (1) Shifting focus of energy transition: The energy transition in the context of carbon neutrality has evolved from being primarily technology-driven to problem-driven. The pace and success of energy transitions vary greatly across regions and nations, with policy regulation, technological innovation, market mechanisms, and behavioral factors playing pivotal roles in driving change. (2) Quantitative research on energy transition primarily centers on assessing the extent of the transition and forecasting its future trajectory. However, due to the intricate interconnections and mutual influences among multiple systems, including energy, economy, environment, and society, the predictive simulations often exhibit a pronounced "black box" effect, making interpretation and transparency more challenging. (3) Controversies and future research directions: There is ongoing debate within the international community regarding the comprehensive effects of energy transformation. The development model and pathways that balance low-carbon goals, economic growth, and energy supply security still require further theoretical and empirical exploration. While significant attention has been paid to the environmental, economic, and safety benefits of energy transformation, the social impacts have received less focus, which may undermine the long-term sustainability of the transition. Future research should integrate the dual objectives of climate change mitigation and economic development, adopt diversified transformation strategies, emphasize supply-demand coordination, and promote regionally coordinated transitions. Furthermore, strengthening multi-scale, cross-sectoral analyses will enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of energy transformations. This research aims to deepen understanding of the epistemology and methodology surrounding energy transformation, offering geographical scholars new perspectives and avenues for further investigation into this critical area of study.

The digital competence of residents is a crucial component of personal and social development and significantly influences regional development patterns through its geographic distribution and dynamic evolution. It has increasingly emerged as a critical driving force in advancing common prosperity. This study constructs a measurement system for assessing the digital competence of Chinese residents with respect to common prosperity. It develops a theoretical framework to explore the underlying mechanisms through which digital competence promotes common prosperity, aiming to offer robust theoretical support and empirical evidence for policy design. This study employs spatiotemporal analysis, spatial variogram, spatial autocorrelation, Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition, and fixed effects models to systematically examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of residents' digital competence across 25 provincial-level regions in China, along with its multifaceted influence on common prosperity. The study presents the following findings: (1) From 2016 to 2022, the overall level of digital competence showed a generally rising but fluctuating trend, although the national average remained relatively low. Specific dimensions demonstrated upward yet uneven trajectories, including data and information literacy, digital communication and collaboration, and digital problem-solving. In contrast, declines in digital content creation and digital security raise concern, especially in regions such as Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, where consistently low levels are observed. (2) National spatial disparities in digital competence have been narrowed over time, yet the east-west divide remains the most pronounced. Coastal provinces exhibit relatively balanced internal development, whereas the Gini coefficient of hypervariable density contributes most significantly to national disparity and shows an increasing trend. (3) At the village and community levels, improvements in digital competence notably promote common prosperity, with pronounced benefits for inland and rural regions. This positive effect operates through multiple forms of livelihood capital - human, material, financial, social, and psychological - and varies across regions. The study enhances the theoretical understanding of the dynamic evolution of regional digital development and the digital divide, offering practical implications for advancing balanced growth in Chinese residents' digital competence and achieving common prosperity.

Border ports serve as critical frontlines against potential threats from neighboring countries, with their risk status directly impacting national security and the livelihoods of local residents and businesses. Despite this importance, there remains a lack of quantitative assessments of geo-risk at these border ports. This study addresses this gap by constructing a geo-risk assessment model based on the concepts of probability and potential loss. By integrating multi-source spatio-temporal data, the geo-risk at border ports is estimated for type classification and feature analysis. The results reveal several key findings: geo-risk stress is gradually shifting westward, with significant accumulation at southwestern border ports, and comprehensive border ports are experiencing heightened risk. Geo-risk probability is high at China-Myanmar and China-Vietnam border ports, with notable risks at northern transit node ports, and Ruili ranks highest in geo-risk probability among all ports. Potential losses are concentrated along the southern border, especially at critical nodes of external transit routes and ports along the Belt and Road. The overall spatial distribution of geo-risk at border ports follows a pattern of "dense in the south, sparse in the north, and balanced across multiple points,"with risks categorized into four types: high risk, high probability, high loss, and low risk, with approximately one-quarter of ports categorized as high-risk. This study enhances the understanding of border risk, and the constructed geo-risk assessment model provides a valuable reference for risk quantification in other countries or regions while offering a scientific basis for decision-making related to border security.

Rural areal system is a multidimensional object of rural revitalization in the new era, and its complexity and dynamics require a breakthrough in single-domain thinking. Through the in-depth fusion of system science theories, multi-source data-driven technical methods and sustainable transformation paths, the full-chain governance of system diagnosis-scenario simulation-precise policy implementation should be carried out. Based on the scientific theory of human-land system and the multi-scale analysis paradigm of geography, this paper explores the "element-structure-function" cascade analysis system of rural areal system, analyzes the scientific connotation of rural areal system and rural revitalization, clarifies the multi-scale evolution law and transformation mechanism of rural areal system, develops rural areal system development status assessment and scenario simulation technology, and sorts out and proposes a "three-device" (diagnostic device, detector, simulator) platform framework for the transformation mechanism and simulation of rural areal system. By innovating multimodal spatiotemporal data fusion and intelligent interpretation methods, it can break through the technical bottleneck of quantitative inversion of rural areal system elements, establish a multi-factor collaborative observation indicator system and a data sharing application platform, reveal the spatial pattern of rural transformation under different development paths, and explore and create "three major systems", including a theoretical system of rural areal system with multi-dimensional interaction of nature-society-technology, a technical system of cross-platform coordinated observation of rural areal system, and a system of standards and norms for the scientific path of rural revitalization and its management. The findings will help to achieve the systematization of coordinated observation and scenario simulation of multi-source heterogeneous data in rural areal system, and provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the scientific formulation of rural revitalization plans and the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization strategic decisions. Additionally, focusing on the current trend of technological progress, modern geography should connect with the international scientific frontier and national strategic needs, and take the system integration of geographic science-technology-engineering-practice (Geo-STEP) as the core to promote the transition of rural areal system research from "problem explanation" to "future design" and "scientific governance".

Space of flows research provides a novel analytical perspective in the domain urban and regional development, facilitating the elucidation and comprehension of dynamic interactions within urban systems and inter-regional networks. This research not only offers scientific analytical tools for urban governance and spatial planning but also provides theoretical guidance for promoting sustainable urban and regional development by optimizing resource allocation and improving spatial efficiency. This paper systematically reviews and analyzes the connotation of the space of flows in terms of its concept, attributes, characteristics, and fundamental elements. Based on this, the paper proposes and examines the evolutionary framework of space of flows research. Through theoretical tracing, research trend analysis, and hotspots identification, the study reveals that space of flows research exhibits a development pattern characterized by "super-core, polycentric, and pan-thematic" tendencies. Furthermore, this paper explores the analytical paradigm of space of flows research and its significant shifts: the research domain has expanded from singular economic linkages to multi-dimensional connections encompassing social, cultural, ecological, and geographical spheres; research data have evolved from traditional statistical surveys to an integration of conventional data and multi-source big data; and research methodologies have transitioned from qualitative studies to dynamic quantitative research. Future directions for deepening space of flows research include innovating data acquisition and integration technologies, developing advanced analytical tools, expanding cross-scale research methods, enhancing the synthesis of theoretical and empirical studies, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of spatial dynamics and urban-regional systems.

The differentiation of population growth and decline across regions has emerged as a prominent trend in China's demographic landscape, drawing significant attention from both academia and society. Revealing its patterns and mechanisms from a geographical perspective is of great significance for supporting high-quality population development and promoting balanced regional population development. This paper first proposes a geographical analysis framework for regional population growth and decline based on the spatial and comprehensive attributes of the geographical discipline and relevant classical theories. Within the analytical framework, the spatio-temporal patterns and mechanisms of population growth and decline in prefectural-level units in China from 1982 to 2020 are empirically analyzed using five population censuses from the perspective of compositional structure. The empirical results show that the differentiation of prefectural population growth and decline gradually intensifies since 1990. While natural population growth in most regions remains positive, the number of regions experiencing negative growth has increased over the past decade. The trend of net migration in and out of regions continues to diverge, with the number of regions experiencing net outmigration steadily rising. Regional population growth and decline are jointly determined by natural growth and net migration, with the contribution of net migration continuously increasing. There has been a continuous upsurge in the number of regions experiencing population decline driven by net migration alone, as well as those jointly driven by both natural growth and net migration. The spatial scope of the former has expanded from certain inter-provincial mountainous areas to vast regions in the northeastern, central, and western parts of the country, while the latter is predominantly distributed in Northeast China. Concurrently, areas with population growth have progressively narrowed, confining to eastern provinces, provincial capital cities, Xinjiang, Xizang, and other areas. Regional natural conditions, level of economic and social development, policies, and other factors affect population changes through their impact on natural growth and net migration. The pathways of these various factors are heterogeneous and evolve dynamically over time. This paper concludes with a discussion of the mechanisms behind regional population growth and decline differentiation, as well as the policy implications for promoting balanced regional population development.

Central cities, as drivers of regional economic development, have reemerged as a focal point of attention nowadays. However, their impact on the surrounding cities is inconsistent. Both positive and negative effects have been verified in different cases. One promising way to understand various impacts of central cities is to employ the dynamic lens. This paper focuses on the Central China Plains urban agglomeration, which developed and grew rapidly during the research period 2000-2020, and analyzes the dynamic impact of Zhengzhou on other small and medium-sized cities within the urban agglomeration (228 cities, counties, and county-level cities). The empirical analysis confirms that the role of central cities undergoes dynamic changes, and this case does not support the theoretical expectation of "siphoning first and then spilling over". Specifically, before 2005, there was no evidence of Zhengzhou's impact on the economic development of other cities in the Central China Plains urban agglomeration. Between 2005 and 2015, the evidence was inconsistent, hinting at a transitional phase between the two situations. After 2015, Zhengzhou mainly had a positive spillover effect on the development of cities within a certain geographical distance. The reasons for the aforementioned findings may lie in the fact that central cities, represented by Zhengzhou, focuses on attracting major resources from outside the province rather than within, and place great emphasis on and actively develop the manufacturing industry. Although a longer time period and evidence from more urban agglomerations are needed, the findings of this paper are a positive signal in favour of central city development strategies.

By tracing the theoretical evolution of new geopolitics, this paper constructs a methodological framework for new geopolitics studies, trying to bridge the paradigmatic gap between new geopolitics and traditional geopolitics, thus enhancing the cohesion of geopolitics on the discipline level in a completely different background of social transformation. The methodological construction of the new geopolitics studies in this paper is mainly reflected in the multi-level analysis and the diversity of inter-state exchanges in the wide geopolitical discussions. From the perspective of multi-level analysis, new geopolitics has expanded in terms of scale and agency dimensions, including multi-scale spatial units such as cities and communities, as well as multiple actors such as grassroot groups into the discussion of geopolitics. While from the perspective of inter-state exchange, new geopolitics depicts how the details of people's everyday life such as culture and tourism become key factors in shaping global geopolitics. Moreover, this paper also proposes to procedurally incorporate qualitative research methods such as ethnography and textual analysis, which is based on the discussions of the multi-level analysis and the diversity of inter-state exchanges, into the methodology of geopolitics, in an attempt to provide a different perspective from traditional geopolitics to re-understanding and studying geopolitics in the new era context. Under the backdrop of the revolutionary impact of globalization and informatization upon the inter-state geopolitical relationship, the methodological construction of new geopolitics in this paper can help to describe the transformation of factors affecting the evolution of the global geopolitical pattern and its occurrence process and mechanism, and can also widely guide the processing of new geopolitics studies. Furthermore, in the context of China's increasingly active overseas socio-economic activities and the increasingly obvious geopolitical risks from the "bottom-up" perspective, the methodological construction of new geopolitics also has important practical value for systematically guiding the studies on geopolitics related to China's overseas socio-economic activities.

A series of regional major strategies has continuously been implemented since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (2012). The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomerations are the core spatial carriers of regional major strategies. In the new situation of decreasing and aging population, the growth of employment and the changes in employment structure in the four major urban agglomerations will have a profound impact on the regional sustainable development. Based on the location quotient model, and spatial autocorrelation analysis, the spatial and temporal patterns of employment size and employment industrial structure in the four major urban agglomerations were examined by using the sectoral population data from the 2000, 2010 and 2020 national population censuses. Comparative analysis was conducted in the context of regional major strategies to explore the regularities of urban agglomeration employment growth and structural transformation. The study finds that: (1) The scale of employment in the four major urban agglomerations continues to grow, but the overall growth rate slows down. The overall pattern of employment distribution remains stable, and the high-value areas of employment growth rate have shifted from the central cities to the surrounding cities of the urban agglomerations, forming a trend of balanced distribution and multi-point support within the urban agglomerations. (2) The trend of advanced and high-tech development in employment structure is obvious, and the distribution of employment types within urban agglomerations presents a clear "core-periphery" pattern. The central city always maintains a structure of "high-tech manufacturing and high-tech service industry", while the employment structure of the cities near the central city of the urban agglomeration is characterized by an alternating distribution of "low-tech manufacturing and high-tech service industry" and "high-tech manufacturing and low-tech service industry". The majority of employment in peripheral cities of urban agglomerations belongs to the structural type of "low-tech manufacturing and low-tech service industry". (3) The continuous growth of the employed population and the advanced and high-tech employment structure have created conditions for the four major urban agglomerations to carry out regional major strategies and participate in global competition. However, urban agglomerations face different challenges. It is essential to strengthen the multiplier effect of high-tech employment, promote the qualitative transformation of non-high-tech employment, and implement differentiated employment attraction policies to foster coordinated development among urban agglomerations and ensure the effective implementation of regional major strategy.

Chinese materia medica (CMM) is derived from nature, inherited from history, used in society, prospered in industry and benefited in the region. The ancient Chinese people began studying the relationship between CMM and their origin very early, which reflects that CMM is closely related to geography, and it is also the natural way of the formation of CMM, but the interdisciplinary fusion of CMM and geography has not yet formed. Based on the geographical characteristics of herbs, resources, products, industry and business of CMM, this paper analyzes the research framework of the medicine-geography relationship in CMM geography, and preliminarily analyzes its research objects, scientific problems, research contents and research methods. Results show that: (1) CMM geography is a science that studies the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of CMM and medicine-geography relationship. It is a discipline that examines the regional differences, spatial patterns, medicine-geography relationship, and sustainable utilization of CMM at the geographic spatial level, based on the division of production areas, featuring Daodi herbs, and aiming to ensure healthy use of drugs. (2) On the basis of the concept of "following the rules of time" in traditional Chinese medicine, CMM geography studies the medicine-geography relationship from three aspects: medicinal use, time, and space, based on the characteristic of "different origins of medicinal materials have differences" in CMM. It adheres to the concept of "selecting, using, and developing traditional Chinese medicine based on geographical differences and characteristics". (3) The study of CMM geography has the characteristics of intersectionality, comprehensiveness, regionalism, and dynamism. It integrates the research results and theoretical methods of CMM and geography, and conducts research on the regional differentiation, spatial structure, and evolutionary laws of five elements: the ecological attributes of CMM resources, the temporal attributes of CMM (herbal medicine), the social attributes of CMM products, the economic attributes of the CMM industry, and the regional attributes of CMM industry. (4) CMM geography integrates CMM with geography, utilizing techniques such as origin identification, changes in production areas, and spatial relationship models, following the principles of combining micro and macro perspectives, qualitative and quantitative approaches. It conducts research on the medicine-geography relationship, in order to promote the integration of pharmacology, medical science, physiology, and geography, and enrich the research content of traditional Chinese medicine and geography.

Ecological resilience refers to an urban agglomeration's ability to resist, adapt, and recover from external disturbances. Enhancing ecological resilience is crucial for promoting high-quality development in the modern era. However, few studies have evaluated the ecological resilience of urban agglomerations from the perspective of human-land interactions or explored its evolutionary mechanism. This study assesses the interannual variation of ecological resilience in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration, focusing on resistance, adaptation, and recovery. The Least Squares Structural Equation Model is employed to analyze the impact degree and pathways through which human-land interactions affect ecological resilience. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, resistance, adaptability, and recoverability exhibited fluctuating trends over time and an unbalanced spatial distribution. Ecological resilience initially decreased but later improved, with significant spatial heterogeneity, forming a "higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest" pattern. Natural environment improvement (coefficient: 0.42) and regional policies (coefficient: 0.18) had significant positive direct effects on ecological resilience, while urbanization exerted a significant negative effect (coefficient: -0.26). Although green innovation had no significant direct effect, it exhibited significant indirect influence, with the most significant pathway being green innovation→regional policy→natural environment→ecological resilience (coefficient: 0.18). This study enhances our understanding of how the natural environment, green innovation, and regional policies shape ecological resilience, providing a scientific reference for urban agglomeration development that fosters harmony between humans and nature.

To realize the "dual carbon" goals, it is necessary to actively explore the "dual carbon" response strategy in the national spaces and innovate the research on carbon emission reduction and carbon sink enhancement pathways within the existing Chinese national conditions and institutional framework. Currently, discussions centered around supporting carbon neutrality predominantly emphasize the carbon reduction dimensions of a single space or department, lacking comprehensive coordination and specific pathways demonstration research across multiple spaces and departments. This has led to unclear goal positioning and accountability relationships for carbon emission reduction and carbon sequestration in different national spaces, making it challenging to decompose the overall tasks and implement them concretely. On the basis of considering the spatial functional attributes and interactions of ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space, this study first establishes a cognitive framework for carbon balance effects of three types of space (ecological, agricultural, and urban spaces) and proposes design principles for carbon emission reduction and carbon sink enhancement pathways. Then, based on the share of carbon reduction undertaken by the three types of space, as well as the current application status, historical contributions, scope of application, and future potential of each pathway, this study further summarizes and proposes a multi-spatial coordinated pathway for enhancing carbon sinks within ecological spaces, reducing carbon emissions and increasing sinks in agricultural spaces, and decreasing emissions in urban spaces. This initiative not only contributes to achieving sustainable ecological restoration, efficient cropland management, and effective urban control, but also fosters the formation of climate mitigation optimization strategies and green transformation response methods under the integration of future national space.

Based on extensive and detailed field investigations in the Zoige Basin on the NE Tibetan Plateau, the Niangyiqu (NYQ-A) section was found on the second terrace of the Yellow River in the basin. Through systematic stratigraphic division and sample collection in the field, combined with laboratory analysis of grain size, geochemical elements, paleontology, and OSL/AMS ¹⁴C dating, different sedimentary layers in the section and its paleoenvironmental significance were identified. Furthermore, this study focuses on investigating the lake level changes of the Zoige paleolake recorded by the lacustrine deposits and their causes. The results show that: (1) The sedimentary stratigraphy of the section, from bottom to top, consists of the following layers: deep lacustrine deposits A, shallow lacustrine deposits A, deep lacustrine deposits B, shallow lacustrine deposits B, overbank flood deposits of the Yellow River, aeolian loess, and modern meadow soil. (2) The deep lacustrine deposits A, dating to 51.82±2.34 ka, records a deep lake environment of the Zoige paleolake during the (Marine isotope stages) MIS 3c period. During this period, warm and wet climate conditions led to high precipitation and glacial meltwater inflow, resulting in a high paleo-lake level. The shallow lacustrine deposits A formed between 51.01±2.19 and 39.54±1.72 ka, indicating a shallow lake environment of the Zoige paleolake during the MIS 3b period. During this period, cold and dry climate conditions caused a lowered paleo-lake level. The deep lacustrine deposits B accumulated between 39.18±2.03 and 36.77±1.66 ka, inferring a deep lake environment of the Zoige paleolake during the MIS (Marine isotope stages) 3a period. During this period, warm and wet climate conditions led to increased precipitation and glacial meltwater, raising the paleo-lake level once again. (3) Notably, shallow lacustrine deposits B records a sudden transition of the Zoige paleolake from a deep lake environment to a shallow marshy environment at 36.77±1.66 ka during the MIS 3a period. Based on the previous studies on the development and evolution of the Zoige paleolake, our results further confirm that under the influence of warm and humid climate and the strong tectonic activity of the eastern segment of the East Kunlun Fault, the headward erosion and downcutting of the paleo-Yellow River intensified. At ca. 37 ka, the paleo-Yellow River captured the Zoige paleolake, causing the continuous discharge of the paleolake water and the transition to warm shallow marshy environment. This environment created favorable living conditions for aquatic gastropods (Radix) and numerous mammals (such as the woolly rhinoceros and primitive cattle). These results are of significance in understanding the evolution of the river-lake system within the Zoige Basin.

Main function zoning (MFZ) is the fundamental system of China's territorial development and protection. Through differentiated functional orientation, the core objectives of MFZ are to guide the orderly flow of resources across regions and optimize the spatial pattern of national development. This study evaluates the impacts, their heterogeneities among four types of zones, and underlying mechanisms of MFZ planning on China's population redistribution using county-level data from the three latest national population censuses and causal inference tests through difference-in-differences models. The results show that: The MFZ effects generally align with policy orientation. Post-implementation, optimized development zones, prioritized development zones, main agricultural zones and key ecological zones experienced declining population growth rates, accelerated population agglomeration, accelerated population decline, and growth-to-decline transition, respectively. Using main agricultural zones as reference, the planning reinforced the population concentration advantages of prioritized development zones. The policy effect exhibits dual heterogeneity across regions and hierarchical levels. Population changes in agricultural and ecological zones mostly complied with planning guidance, whereas only 40% of county-level units within prioritized development zones achieved the policy goal of accelerated agglomeration. National-level prioritized development zones demonstrated approximately twice the impact of provincial-level counterparts. Population migration from restricted development zones to urbanized areas predominantly occurred through cross-regional migration rather than intra-prefecture movements, making the policy goal of "concentrated equilibrium" within prefecture-level cities difficult to achieve. The planning promoted shifts in influencing factors of population redistribution within each type of MFZ. The diminished role of secondary industries and enhanced influence of tertiary sectors in optimized zones, along with weakened economic drivers in ecological zones, aligned with planning objectives. However, industrialization in prioritized development zones failed to significantly boost population agglomeration, while agricultural zones remained profoundly influenced by industrialization and economic development, both deviating from intended planning orientations. The findings suggest that the new-round planning could moderately concentrate urbanized area layouts, clarify development sequences for prioritized development zones, and implement more targeted differentiated governance requirements for restricted development zones.

Analyzing the evolution of spatial patterns and driving forces of carbon transfer is essential for the equitable allocation of carbon emission responsibilities, accurate identification of regional carbon emission sources, and improvement in carbon reduction efficiency. Existing research on carbon transfer in China has primarily focused on inter-country and inter-provincial connections at single points in time, lacking an analysis of the long-term dynamic evolution and driving factors behind both domestic and international carbon transfers at the provincial scale. This study addresses this research gap. Using a multi-scale input-output model, this study quantified the carbon transfers associated with domestic and international trade for 31 Chinese provinces (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) from 1997 to 2017. It further analyzed the evolution characteristics of spatial patterns and their driving forces. The findings indicate: (1) Carbon transfers in both domestic and international trade increased significantly across all provinces. Spatial differentiation intensified along a north-south axis for domestic trade and an east-central-west axis for international trade. (2) Growth in net carbon transfers in domestic trade was primarily driven by carbon-intensive industries, whereas growth in international trade transfers was primarily driven by manufacturing industries. (3) The intensification of spatial differentiation in domestic carbon transfers was mainly driven by the expansion of inter-regional trade in carbon-intensive industries. Similarly, intensified spatial differentiation in international carbon transfers was mainly driven by increased exports of manufactured products. Conversely, reductions in carbon emission intensity and adjustments in input-output structures had mitigating effects on these trends. This study provides scientific support for optimizing provincial carbon reduction strategies and developing coordinated inter-provincial carbon reduction policies in China.

Promoting social green transformation is an inherent requirement and a key task in the national strategy for a comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society. However, research on the quantitative characterization and spatiotemporal patterns of social green transformation remains relatively lacking. To address this gap, this paper introduces social psychology theory to construct a quantitative characterization framework for social green transformation. Using 19 urban agglomerations in China as the study area and following the "pattern-process-effect" research logic, the study integrates methods such as entropy-weighted TOPSIS, spatial Markov chains, and Random Forest model to sequentially reveal the spatiotemporal evolution patterns, spatiotemporal transformation, and dynamic impacts of the social green transformation on the economic green transformation. Finally, a comprehensive quantitative framework for regional green transformation is proposed. The results show that: (1) During the study period, the level of social green transformation in China's urban agglomerations showed a fluctuating upward trend, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations leading in social green transformation, while those along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains, Lanzhou-Xi'an region, and Ningxia along the Yellow River were relatively lagging. (2) There is a phenomenon of club convergence and spatial spillover effects in the social green transformation of urban agglomerations, and the transformation exhibits path dependence and spatial dependence, with low probabilities of cross-level and cross-regional transitions. (3) Social green transformation serves as a significant driving force for the green transformation of urban economies, and this driving effect has been strengthening over time. The role of social green transformation in advancing the strategy of ecological prioritization and green development is increasingly profound. Furthermore, this study helps to improve existing research on regional green transformation evaluation, providing new methods and ideas that better align with and respond to the current comprehensive green transformation strategy.

The urban-rural integration in the new era requires the coupled and coordinated development of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization. This paper constructs an evaluation index system for new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, and uses the modified coupling coordination degree model, spatial Markov chain, random forest model and other methods to quantitatively analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of coupling coordination types of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization in Central China from 2007 to 2022. The results show that: (1) From 2007 to 2022, the coupling coordination type in the study area experienced a transition from moderate imbalance to minimal coordination, with regions of severe imbalance gradually disappearing and high-quality coordinated areas emerging, and the coupling coordination relationship has continuously improved. In terms of spatial distribution, high-value zones of coupling coordination level have remained concentrated in provincial capitals, while low-value zones have shifted toward western edge and the junction of Henan-Anhui-Hubei provinces, with boundary effects gradually emerging. (2) Regardless of the neighborhood conditions, the transition of the coupling coordination state exhibits "path dependence" and "self-locking" effects, while displaying "club convergence" phenomena, there is the possibility of transition to higher level but it is difficult to achieve leapfrog development. The geographical background plays an important role in the evolution of the coupling coordination state, which has an obvious spatial spillover effect, and the Markov prediction results also prove that spatial spillover effect will exist for a long time, the long-term evolution trend of the coupling coordination state is relatively good. (3) In the process of coupling and coordinated development, the level of industrial development plays a core leading role, the level of regional investment, the level of scientific and technological innovation, the level of human capital, and the employment structure of the population offer guarantees in terms of essential factors, and the geographical distance plays a restrictive role. Finally, this paper puts forward specific countermeasures and suggestions to provide scientific basis for the coordinated development of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization in Central China.

Understanding the transformation process and regional differences of China's low fertility-aging types is of great importance for summarizing the historical experience of modernization with Chinese characteristics, and it is also a foundational task for improving population development strategies with a focus on addressing low fertility and aging. This paper constructs a joint framework of low fertility and aging to define the types of low fertility-aging, and uses population census data from 2000 to 2020 to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of China's low fertility-aging types at multiple spatial scales. It also interprets the evolution characteristics and formation logic of typical regional low fertility-aging types. The study finds that: (1) In terms of temporal characteristics, most regions have experienced a transformation in low fertility-aging types over the past two decades, generally following a trajectory from multiple children-not aging, to predominantly low fertility-mild aging, and then to a balanced distribution of low fertility-moderate aging, low fertility-mild aging, and multiple children-mild aging. As the spatial scale becomes more detailed, the types and transformation paths of low fertility-aging tend to become more diverse and dispersed. (2) The spatial pattern of low fertility-aging type transformation exhibits a characteristic of expanding from points to areas: regions such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Beijing, and Northeast China are at the forefront of the transformation, followed by other eastern coastal and most central and western provincial-level areas, but most ethnic groups-inhabited areas in northwest and southwest China have not yet begun to transform. At the same time, the Central China Plains and southeast regions show a characteristic of asynchronous transformation in low fertility and aging. (3) Taking the county level as the evaluation unit, and based on local perspectives, the study identifies six typical regional patterns at the national level, including the Northeast, the Yangtze River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin, the Pearl River Delta, the Southeast, the Central China Plains, and the ethnic groups-inhabited areas in the northwest and southwest, by analyzing the commonalities and differences in the transformation process and main driving factors of low fertility-aging types. The conclusions not only provide theoretical references and practical guidance for various regions to deeply optimize national population strategies and improve fertility support policies in a location-specific manner, but also contribute new perspectives and insights to the study of population transformation, promoting the establishment of a community with a shared future for humanity in actively addressing low fertility and aging in developing countries.

State space is a pivotal theory in urban governance. Historically, there has been limited overlap between state space and traditional urban governance research in China. The transformation of urban governance in China has emerged from significant adjustments in state space, with evolving reforms in urban governance paralleling the ongoing construction of state space. Grounded in the theoretical origins of state space, this paper elucidates its theoretical core: leveraging the spatial allocation of national resources as an entry point to bridge governance research on enhancing holistic governance efficiency with the imperative of safeguarding social equity. The study posits that state space theory, through interdisciplinary dialogues spanning early state studies, neo-Marxist political economy, and sociological research, has established a tripartite interactive framework for urban governance research, from "resource allocation, social relations, and governance efficacy". In the context of Chinese urban governance studies, it is essential to prioritize localized models, focusing on governance efficacy, social relations, resource allocation, and their interactive relationships. The paper advocates for three paradigm shifts in future Chinese urban governance research: transitioning from analyzing institutional relationships to optimizing resource allocation, reconceptualizing cities not merely as organizational structures but as projections of national governance, and balancing multiple benefits from economic efficiency to multifaceted societal benefits.

Cultivating new quality agricultural productive forces (NQAPFs) is an intrinsic requirement for promoting the construction of a strong agricultural country. It is of great practical significance to explain the scientific connotation of NQAPFs in China, analyze their spatial and temporal characteristics, and examine their impact on strengthening China's agriculture. This paper constructs an index system for measuring NQAPFs from four dimensions: agricultural science and technology, labor factors, industrial upgrading and agroecology, based on panel data from 30 provincial-level areas in China from 2012 to 2022. The Theil index, Markov chain and double machine learning methods are used to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of NQAPFs, identify lagging regions, and empirically test the impact of NQAPFs on agricultural labor productivity and farmers' income. The research found that: China's NQAPFs increased steadily, with industrial upgrading contributing the most and the contributions of the labor factor and agroecology relatively weak; the current development presents a pattern of "high in the east and low in the west", with the eastern region>northeast region>central region>western region, and regional development is unbalanced. However, the NQAPFs converged towards higher levels, and the distribution dynamics are internally stable. Except for the northeast region, there is a converging trend of rapid growth in low-value areas in the eastern, central and western regions of the country. Econometric analysis shows that NQAPFs have significant positive impact on both agricultural labor productivity and farmers' income; 17 provincial-level areas with weak NQAPFs have been identified, mainly in the western and northeast regions. In the future, the focus of efforts to improve China's NQAPFs should be on increasing investment in agricultural science and technology, continuing to promote industrial upgrading, improving the quality of the workforce, strengthening the protection of agricultural ecosystems, and accelerating the improvement of the comprehensive development level of NQAPFs in central and western China.

An in-depth investigation of urban heat island effect and its influencing factors differences is crucial for effectively mitigating this phenomenon in cities. In this study, we calculated the surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) for China's super- and mega-cities, based on Landsat 8 land surface temperature and Local Climate Zones (LCZs) data. We then analyzed the compound effects of LCZs and population density (PD) on SUHII using geodetector. The results showed that: (1) Urban size, development level, and building density all exacerbate SUHII, with internal variation significantly higher in mountainous and hilly regions than in plains. The standard deviation of SUHII in mountainous and hilly areas exceeds 0.25, while in plain areas, such as Shenyang, it is around 0.1. (2) In most cities, the lowest SUHII is found in dense trees (LCZA), which is approximately 0.5-1 ℃ lower than in built-up LCZs. (3) The compound effect of PD and LCZs is more significant than either factor alone. Once the ratio of built-up LCZs to nature LCZs exceeds 0.60, the contribution of LCZs to SUHII shows a decelerating growth rate, and becomes saturated when LCZs account for approximately 50% of the built-up area. Looking ahead, the intensity of urban heat islands is expected to continue increasing. This study discussed deeply the influencing factors of the differences in urban heat island intensity, offering an important reference for the development of targeted urban planning strategies aimed at mitigating urban heat island effects.

The rapid and intricate evolution of socio-culture poses critical challenges to the development of cultural geography. Currently, tourism has emerged as a crucial cultural phenomenon; however, it has long been neglected by the academic community. This paper, grounded in the tension between reality and theory, addresses the necessity of tourism research within cultural geography and the specific nature of such research required. Its aim is to stimulate the development of cultural geography through interdisciplinary dialogue. This study reviews the current status and trends of tourism-related research within the realm of cultural geography, both domestically and internationally. It then examines the "newness" of tourism culture from two approaches: the spatial study of culture and the cultural study of space. At the ontological and epistemological levels, the paper discusses the following aspects: (1) Tourism has become an omnipresent cultural fact, providing a continuous and vivid empirical foundation for cultural geography research; (2) As a distinctive phenomenon, tourism has opened up frontier topics that facilitate the contextual application and perspective shift of theories; (3) Tourism, functioning as an intersecting "interface", links multidisciplinary thinking and offers platforms and experiences for interdisciplinary integration; (4) Tourism, as a "metaphor", indicates a new cultural perspective that transcends traditional cultural geography research, presenting a dynamic of integration, development, and anti-structuralism. This paper advocates for the cultural geography community to re-evaluate tourism, reversing the past neglect of tourism-related research and thereby fostering equitable interdisciplinary communication and academic innovation.

The mixing of saline-fresh water masses is an important hydrological phenomenon in the Yangtze River Estuary (hereafter Yangtze Estuary), which influences the regional ecological security. Here we use historical local gazetteer, historical records of salt industry, traditional maps and historical charts to establish the relationship between anthropogenic salt-making, reclamation activities and the saline water distribution patterns. Meanwhile, on the basis of a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, we attempt to reveal the spatio-temporal water mixing pattern and identify the evolution mechanism of the mixing zone of saline-fresh waters in the Yangtze Estuary from the 16th to the 20th century. Furthermore, the causes and effects of the above evolution process were discussed based on the principles of estuarine hydrology and geomorphology. The results show that: (1) Since the 16th century, in response to the seaward expansion of the Yangtze Estuary, the bifurcation and the narrowing of the Estuary have promoted the continuous downward movement of the salt and fresh water mixing zone, with differences between the northern and southern branches. (2) The upper boundary of saline-fresh water mixing zone in the southern branch was located at the line dividing Shiqiao Estuary and Wusongkou during the Longqing and Wanli periods (1569-1574) of the Ming Dynasty, and this line moved down to Tongsha Shoal during the Daoguang period (1842) of the Qing Dynasty, with an annual downward rate of 285.7 m/a. (3) Since the 16th century, the isohaline in the nearshore section of the Yangtze Estuary moved inwards within the northern branch and downward within the southern branch, with its main axis rotating counterclockwise from S-N to SE-NW, and a total reversal of 54° from 1569 to 1980. (4) The continuous migration of saline-fresh water of the Yangtze Estuary since the 16th century is a naturally driven evolution process. Since the late 20th century, with the driving of the engineering, the geomorphology change of the estuary has accelerated the natural trend of the change of the saline-fresh water mixed zone. The artificial control based on the natural estuarine trend is the main driving factor for the evolution of the saline-fresh water mixing in the future. (5) Reducing and eliminating the effect of the northern branch salt tide on the fresh water resources and environment of the Yangtze Estuary is the primary goal of the ecological regulation of the Estuary. Facing the situation of sediment supply reduction and sea level rise in the Yangtze Estuary, the geometric change of the estuary driven by human coastal engineering projects will become the main factor affecting the change of saline and fresh water mixing.

Poverty remains a persistent global challenge affecting both human society and economic development. In China, a distinctive approach has emerged through the integration of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) preservation with targeted poverty alleviation (TPA) initiatives. This model, cultivated through decades of cultural heritage conservation and poverty reduction practices, holds significance for promoting cultural prosperity and comprehensive rural revitalization. This study establishes a three-dimensional theoretical framework, encompassing capability, industry, and environment, through an in-depth analysis of ICH-driven poverty alleviation within impoverished areal system. Applying this framework, the research examines China's pioneering success in rural poverty reduction via a case study of Gaohua village, Guizhou province. There are three main findings. First, China's practice of ICH-based poverty alleviation predates formal policy implementation. In Gaohua village, efforts since 2008 have progressed through three phases: the experimental phase (2008-2012), targeted poverty alleviation through ICH (2013-2020) and the comprehensive rural revitalization since 2021. Second, at the macro level, rural poverty alleviation through ICH results from the interplay of endogenous dynamics, exogenous forces, and cultural drivers. Policy-guided, targeted interventions prove optimal for simultaneously advancing poverty reduction and heritage conservation. Third, at the micro level, enhanced individual capabilities (human) and optimized industrial structures (industry) address the root causes of Pin (poverty), and strengthened geographical capital (environment) mitigates Kun (hardship). The coupling interactions among "human" "industry" and "environment" collectively resolve multidimensional poverty in rural areas. Poverty alleviation through ICH serves as a critical engine for cultural preservation and economic development in China's ethnic regions. Geography, with its unique disciplinary strengths, should actively contribute to advancing theoretical research and practical applications of ICH-based poverty alleviation, offering valuable insights for global sustainable poverty reduction efforts.

The well-being of people's livelihood is an important issue that goes hand in hand with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it is also the fundamental purpose and ultimate destination of human development. This paper explores the evolution and influencing factors of the well-being level of urban and rural residents in China based on the data from the 2012-2021 China Livelihood Survey, using principal component analysis, cold- and hot-spot analysis, spatial kernel density estimation and multi-layer linear modeling. The findings are as follows: (1) China's urban and rural residents' well-being level shows a fluctuating upward trend, with both urban and rural well-being levels increasing. (2) China's urban and rural residents' well-being shows significant regional differences, with levels of the Northwest and the Northeast being higher than those of the others. (3) China's urban and rural residents' well-being level has obvious clustering characteristics. In 2021, there was a "hot-shrinking-cold-shrinking-hot-expansion-cold-shrinking" development trend, and in 2018-2021, the agglomeration of urban and rural residents in areas with high levels of well-being gradually increased, while the agglomeration of areas with low levels of well-being tended to weaken. (4) Individuals, gender, age, education, work status, and household type, were the most important factors in the well-being of urban and rural residents in China. At the individual level, gender, age, education level, working status, and hukou type have an impact on the well-being of urban and rural residents; at the regional level, GDP per capita, population density, city level, and geographic location have a nonlinear impact on the well-being of urban and rural residents. (5) Compared with the eastern region, the negative effect of unemployment on urban residents' well-being is relatively more pronounced in the central and northeastern regions. Similarly, in the central and western regions, unemployment has a relatively stronger negative effect on rural residents' well-being. Compared with the eastern region, the positive association between per capita GDP and urban residents' well-being is relatively weaker in the central and western regions, whereas in the northeastern region, this association is relatively stronger. The results of the study are intended to provide useful insights for studies on well-being and Chinese-style modernization.

The Dadu River and the Upper Minjiang River are located on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, where the active coupling of internal and external dynamics causes the occurrence and sudden formation of massive landslide disasters and river damming events. Numerous researchers have analyzed the local river reaches for single landslide damming events. Building on this foundation, this study uses remote sensing interpretation, field verification, and topographic data to systematically investigate landslide damming events in the Dadu and Upper Minjiang rivers in the mountainous region on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The results identify 226 paleolandslide damming events, with 135 in the Minjiang River Basin and 91 in the Dadu River Basin. Of these, 9 are small, 41 are medium, 69 are large, 94 are super large, and 13 are giant events. The heights of the landslide dams range from 4 to 404 m, with the number of dams decreasing as height increases (75% of the dam heights are less than 100 m). The volume distribution of the landslides ranges from 1.8×10⁴ to 7.3×10⁸ m³. The backwater area of the dam lakes ranges from 3.8×10² to 6.0×10⁷ m², with volumes ranging from 5.2×10³ to 8.6×10⁹ m³. Dam height correlates positively with both landslide dam volume and lake volume, with R² values of 0.72 and 0.85, respectively. This result indicates that dam height significantly affects the scale of river damming by landslides in this study area. In addition, the backwater area correlates positively with lake volume, with R² = 0.95. Approximately 94% of the landslide dams were located in unstable regions, and about 59% of the peak discharge of landslide outburst floods are greater than that of the maximum rainstorm flood. The impact of outburst floods cannot be ignored in establishing flood-control standards. These research results clarify the distribution and characteristics of landslide dams in this study area and lay the foundation for predicting future landslide damming events.