China's traditional rural communities rely on technology diffusion to achieve transformation and development

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3969874/v1

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China's traditional rural communities rely on technology diffusion to achieve transformation and development

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3969874/v1

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Rural revitalization is currently a focus of development in China, with rural communities industrialization being an important means of promoting economic development in agricultural areas. The key to promote the transformation of rural communities is the introduction and dissemination of production technology. The study taked Xuchang Village, a rural community, as the case study area. This study conducted in-depth interviews with local government personnel and industry authorities, and conducted a questionnaire survey among 36 folk music instrument shop owners and 151 shop employees. The study aimed to analyze the technological diffusion process, characteristics, and mechanism of transforming ordinary communities into specialized communities. The study showed that: the technology diffusion exhibited a top-down, center-periphery structure, with an irreversible transmission direction and small-scale group diffusion. Notably, there were significant differences in technology diffusion corridors during different periods. In the initial stage, business ties were the main corridors for technology diffusion. In the middle stage, blood ties were the main corridors of technology diffusion. In the late stage, geographical ties were the main corridors of technology diffusion. Such experiences have great reference value for promoting economic development in rural areas in China and other developing countries.

Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Socioeconomic scenarios

Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability

Rapid urbanization during the last 50 years has been accompanied by a dramatic decline in rural populations. Throughout the world, the urban-rural gap has been widening, and the rural communitie deterioration has become a widespread problem^1–4. In response, many countries have attached importance to agricultural specialization, promoting rural economic development through specialized rural industries^5,6. China has a large agricultural population that has consistently promoted specialized rural industry development, which has helped improve rural economic development and promote non-farm-based rural employment^7–9.

China has been undergoing rapid development since the 1980s, and several communities and villages, focused on specialized production have sprung up in rural areas^10–11. There are about 60,000 specialized villages and communities in China, and a quarter are located in poor areas. Specialized communities help increase incomes for the rural poor and promote development and change in China’s rural areas^12–14. The modern concept of rural specialized production development can be traced to “proto-industrialization” in the UK and the “company town” in the US¹⁵. The “One Village, One Product” movement, which originated in Oita Prefecture, Japan, became the prototype of the modern specialized village model¹⁶. The successful experience of that movement spread to neighbouring Asian countries and other developing regions, such as Africa and Latin America^17,18. Specialized villages and communities have now evolved into a policy tool for addressing poverty, helping to mitigate rural depopulation and increase farmers’ incomes^19,20. In China’s vast farming areas, specialized communities have promoted economic growth, provided solutions to problems such as rural poverty and decline, and generally supported the country’s rural revitalization objectives^21,22.

Many studies have investigated specialized communities, mainly focusing on their formation and development^23,24, influencing factors^25,26, and spatial distribution^27,28. Focusing on the phenomenon of Taobao villages, which are specific to China, some studies have found that these communities have influenced the rural social environment, with some farming areas experiencing a reconfiguration whereby traditional culture and e-commerce are increasingly combined^29,30. Others have studied specific communities development problems and drawbacks (e.g., path locking)^31,32. Nevertheless, case studies of specific communities still need to be comprehensive, analyses of the evolution mechanisms are inadequate, and the focus has mainly been on plantation-type communities, mostly neglecting other types of specialized communities (e.g., industrial villages)^33,34. In terms of research content, early studies have primarily focused on the influence of resource factors such as land and capital on specialty industry development, mostly ignoring factors such as technology diffusion and social networks^35–37. It is, therefore, worth investigating howproduction technology, as a core factor, spreads and what kind of network characteristics it has in developing ordinary communities into specialized communities.

This study takes the Xuchang Village in China as a typical case for investigation. We used questionnaires and in-depth interviews to analyze the network characteristics, actors, corridors, and evolution mechanisms of technology diffusion in the development of transformation of ordinary communities into specialized communities. The main purpose is to provide practical reference to guide the development of transition communities in other areas. Through an in-depth study of Xuchang Village's experience and practice, we will explore how to effectively drive technology diffusion during the transformation process and discover the interaction and coordination mechanisms between different actors. The results will provide reference and inspiration for the development of communities in other areas to help them achieve sustainable economic and social development.

Study area

Xuchang Village is located in the north of Lankao County, Henan Province. The first workshop producing folk musical instruments emerged in Xuchang Village in the late 1990s, and production in the village has been expanding ever since. By the end of 2022, there were 105 households in the village, with 90 engaged in manufacturing musical instruments, including 36 households with home workshops. Every year, more than 300 people from surrounding villages come to work there. In total, they manufacture about 70,000 musical instruments with an annual output value of ~150 million yuan, and the products are used domestically and exported abroad. Xuchang Village, as a representative village in terms of industrial development in Lankao County, has attracted considerable attention. In recent years, several national leaders and media reporters had come to Xuchang Village many times to pay attention to the production of national Musical Instruments in Xuchang Village (Fig. 1).

Methodology

We conducted continuous field studies from 2017-2023. First, we conducted in-depth interviews with authorities (township officials, village directors, and some of the early musical instrument shop owners) to obtain basic information about the village and its industrial development history. Secondly, we conducted a questionnaire survey on all the 36 musical instrument shop owners who had their own family workshops in the village by means of census (Table 1). The questionnaire questions covered basic information about the shop owners, how they acquired skills, when their workshops were established, the motivation for the establishment, and changes in sales methods and locations. Finally, we obtained 151 questionnaires from workshop employees through random survey, which accounted for about half of the number of workshop employees, and the contents of the employee questionnaire were similar to the shop owner questionnaire (Table 2). Therefore, the data were therefore representative and realistic. In addition, map data provided by the Lankao County Government.

Table 1. Musical instrument owner basic information table in Xuchang Village

	Options	Percent/%		Options	Percent/%
Product category	Pipa	5.55	Educational background	(0,5]	33.33
	Zither	47.22		(5,8]	60.61
	Guqin	47.22		(8,11]	6.06
Obtainment of technology	Musical instrument factors	38.89	Age	[0,30]	16.67
	Villagers of this village	52.77		(30,40]	36.11
	Other	8.33		>40	47.22
Production interruption	Yes	16.67	Product conversion	Yes	11.11
Production interruption	NO	83.33	Product conversion	NO	88.89

Table 2. Workers basic information table in Xuchang Village

	Options	Percent/%		Options	Percent/%
Dender	Man	61.59	Obtainment of technology	This village	31.79
Dender	Woman	38.41	Obtainment of technology	Adjacent village	68.21
Age	[0,30]	33.11	Educational background	(0,5]	28.48
	(30,40]	32.45		(5,8]	56.95
	(40,50]	18.54		(8,11]	11.26
	>50	15.89		≥12	3.31
Previously engaged in	Student	3.97	Year of employment	<1	54.97
	Officer	1.99		1-2	27.15
	Farmer	37.09		3-5	13.91
	Worker	56.95		>5	3.97

Statistical analysis

This study used the most suitable social network analysis method to analyse questionnaire data and interview data. Firstly, we reviewed the history of folk musical instrument manufacturing technology diffusion in Xuchang Village. By utilizing in-depth interviews and questionnaires, diffusion was divided into different periods, and we interpreted the characteristics of technology diffusion in the different periods. Secondly, we identified the network characteristics of the technology diffusion in Xuchang Village. Using social network analysis, specialized households were regarded as network nodes, and technology diffusion was recognised as network links. Then, the network characteristics of technology diffusion in Xuchang Village were quantitatively measured and visualized using UCINET 6. Finally, based on the methods of structural hole theory, core-periphery model, and role analysis, we summarized the actors, corridors, and evolution mechanisms of the technology diffusion of folk musical instrument manufacturing in Xuchang Village (Fig. 2).

Network density refers to the number of actual ties in a network divided by the theoretical maximum number of ties. It is used to reveal the tightness of the network structure³⁸. Using a network density index helps us to portray the overall network characteristics of the technology diffusion of folk musical instruments. The range of values is [0,1]; the greater the network density, the ties of the specialized households are tighter. Network centrality, on the other hand, is used to assess whether different actors (e.g., factories, and shop owners) are at the center of the technology diffusion network. It can be divided into three categories: centrality, betweenness centrality, and proximity centrality. Degree centrality is the ratio of the absolute degree of a point to the theoretical maximum possible degree. It is used to measure the node’s own communicative ability. The higher the degree, the more power and centrality the node has. Betweenness centrality measures the extent to which a node is located “in the middle” of other nodes; the higher the value, the greater the ability to control other nodes, the more structural holes it occupies, and the more central its position³⁹.

The history of technology diffusion

The interviews and questionnaires revealed that the acquisition and diffusion of musical instrument manufacturing technology in Xuchang Village underwent a complex process. Before the 1980s, the industry in Xuchang Village was mainly based on wood processing and did not involve musical instrument manufacturing. Musical instrument factories in Shanghai only had business contact with neighboring villagers for wood processing, with no exchange or diffusion of musical instrument technology. However, in the mid-1980s, some resourceful villagers met many outstanding technicians from Shanghai’s No. 1 Folk Musical Instrument Factory and established contacts during that period, which laid the foundation for the spread of technology (Fig. 3). Based on when different actors mastered folk musical instrument manufacturing technology, we divided the technology diffusion process into four periods: contact and learning, imitation and derivation, scale diffusion, and radiation diffusion (Table 3).

Table 3. History of traditional handicraft technology diffusion in Xuchang Village

Period	Contact and learning	Imitation and derivation	Scale diffusion	Radiation diffusion
Year	1989-1998	1999-2002	2003-2008	2009-present
Diffusion actor	Pioneers and followers	Followers and diffusers	Followers and imitators	Followers, imitators, and workers
Operating mode	A capable person from a neighboring village brought in a technician, created a musical instrument factory, and recruited local carpenters to try their hand at folk musical instrument production.	Family-based independent production and family-based joint production coexisted, numbering 5–10 people.	Shifted from traditional family to production for hire; number of people: 3–10.	Family management and employment production; number of people: 5–30.
Diffusion corridor	Based on cognitive proximity and geographic proximity, the diffusion corridor was dominated by business ties and geographic proximity.	Based on relational proximity and geographic proximity, the diffusion corridor was mainly blood ties and geographical ties.	Based on geographical proximity and relational proximity, diffusion corridors were based on geographical ties and blood ties.	Based on geographical proximity, the diffusion corridor was dominated by geographical ties.
Mechanism interpretation	Under the effect of cognitive proximity, local factories could quickly develop a group of followers and engage in folk musical instrument manufacturing.	Influenced by traditional Chinese social culture, folk musical instrument manufacturing technology was preferentially disseminated within the family (i.e., “own people”).	Economic and information development, the musical instrument industry was revived and began to change production and sales methods.	Government, media, market, and other factors contributed to the development and prosperity of the folk music industry.

Based on the history of technology diffusion, we can see that there were at least six actors of technology diffusion in Xuchang Village, namely: technology sources, pioneers, followers, diffusers, imitators, and workers. Based on this, a schematic diagram of the technology diffusion network in Xuchang Village was drawn. The figure shows that the diffusion of folk musical instrument manufacturing technology in Xuchang Village had top-down, center-periphery structural characteristics, with obvious hierarchical levels. In addition, the technology diffusion network was characterized by the technology source and factory as the core, an irreversible transmission direction, and small-scale group diffusion.

Characteristics analysis of network

The network node increases, and the network density and centralization decrease. Overall, the network node increased, but the growth rate slowed down significantly. Especially in the last period, since the technology diffusion was basically completed in the village, it began to shift to diffusion outside the village, resulting in a small increase in the number of network nodes. Network density and centralization measurement analysis. The measured network density of technology diffusion in Xuchang Village was 0.0564, with a network centralization of 21.05%, which was significantly lower than that in previous periods (Table 4). Thus, network density was low, and the network structure was relatively loose, but with an obvious hierarchy and centralization trend. These characteristics are mainly related to the influence of the unidirectional nature of technology transmission and the limited path. In addition, since musical instrument manufacturing was more like a traditional culturalyl transmitted skill with certain technical barriers, technology diffusion among different actors was low, and it was difficult to establish a close connection. (Fig. 3)

Table 4. Overall characteristics of the network

Period	Network node		Network density		Network centralization
Period	Amount （pcs）	Growth rate （%）	Density （-）	Standard deviation （-）	Centralization （%）	Heterogeneity （%）
Contact and learning	16	-	0.1333	0.3399	45.71	11.13
Imitation and derivation	26	62.50	0.0831	0.276	25.67	6.31
Scale diffusion	36	38.46	0.0603	0.2381	23.87	5.4
Radiation diffusion	40	11.11	0.0564	0.2307	21.05	4.57

Some principal nodes played a key role in the network of technology diffusion. In terms of individuals, early followers played a linking role in technology diffusion, enabling the technology to spread rapidly among friends, relatives, neighbors, and neighboring villages. The effect on the diffusion and re-diffusion was even stronger than that of local factories. Structural hole measurement analysis showed that the nodes with higher effective scale and efficiency were musical instrument factories. They were at the hub of the transmission and sharing of technology flow in the network, occupied more structural holes, and could best control interactions between other nodes. The effective scale of “ZY” and “SP” was 9.8 and 9, much higher than the average value of 2.12 (Table 5). This indicates that network centrality was monopolized by the source of technology and that regional development was overly dependent on the intermediary role of the source, which has absolute manipulation.

Table 5. Individual Characteristics of Some Key Nodes in the Technology Diffusion Network

Node	Degree centrality	Proximity centrality	Betweenness centrality	Structural holes
Node	Degree centrality	Proximity centrality	Betweenness centrality	Effective scale	Restriction	Efficiency
ZY	10	90	466	9.8	0.125	0.98
SP	9	106	293.5	9	0.111	1
CY	5	112	238	4.6	0.3	0.92
TS	5	88	468	5	0.2	1
Xfx	4	115	155.5	4	0.25	1
Xch	3	149	6.5	3	0.333	1
Xsw	3	146	38	2.333	0.611	0.778
Xfs	3	147	43	3	0.333	1
Xwx	3	124	38	2.333	0.611	0.778
Xsh	3	122	18	2.333	0.611	0.778

Burt used structural holes to represent nonredundant ties, proposing that “nonredundant contacts are connected by structural holes, and a structural hole is a nonredundant tie between two actors”⁴¹. Structural holes can provide opportunities for their occupants to gain “information benefits" and “control benefits” and thus have a competitive advantage over members in other positions in the network. The pioneers and followers, became structural holes between the technology source and local skilled workers and had a competitive advantage while mastering and diffusing the technology. In the early days of industrial development, local musical instrument factories acquired technology from the information source and passed it on to friends, relatives, and followers, thus functioning like gatekeepers. As early followers from Xuchang Village returned to the village to start their own businesses and form a regional group, the local musical instrument factories were still the important intermediaries for communication between Xuchang Village and the information source. Soon after, the local musical instrument factories’ identities was changed from gatekeepers to liaisons.

Diffusion corridors

Based on the questionnaires and our previous analysis, the corridors of technology diffusion were found to be different at different stages of diffusion. Technology diffusion underwent a constantly changing and increasingly complex process of external introduction (business ties), intra-village diffusion (blood ties and geographical ties), and radiation diffusion to the periphery (geographical ties). The specific diffusion corridors were as follows:

Technology source → business ties → pioneers → business ties and geographical ties → followers → blood ties and geographical ties → diffusers → blood ties and geographical ties → imitators → geographical ties → workers.

We can see that the diffusion corridors changed several times. Business ties played an important role in the early stage of technology diffusion. In the middle stage (intra-village diffusion), blood ties were the main corridors of technology diffusion. The technology diffusion corridors were more Chinese in nature, demonstrating the “circle of friends” aspect of interpersonal interaction in Chinese society (i.e., the Differential Mode of Association)⁴². Here, technology diffusion began with one’s “own people”, such as relatives and friends, and spread to “outsiders”, such as related practitioners in neighboring villages and towns. This was in line with the law of information diffusion in interpersonal networks⁴³. At the end of technology diffusion, the geographical ties were the main corridors of technology diffusion, and the Xuchang Village gradually became the technology diffusion center in the area (Fig. 4).

Under the “circle culture” of technology diffusion in Xuchang Village, diffusion started from relatives and spread to friends and neighbors and finally to people in neighboring villages or in the same area. Technology diffusion in the village was also characterized by technology isolation. The smaller clans acquired the musical instrument manufacturing technology relatively late, and not from the larger clans in the village. In China, village formation often occurs over the course of several hundred years. The clan concept is deeply rooted, involving complex conflicts of interest and competition between neighboring clans. It may appear to be selectively “temporarily disabled” by geographical proximity, resulting in “technological isolation” in areas close to the technology exchange. This phenomenon suggests that technological isolation exists not only in cities but also in agricultural areas^44,45.

Evolution mechanism

Chance factors facilitate the new-technology introduction. Research has shown that in the context of a specific historical foundation, chance factors can give rise to the introduction of technology, build bridges between a region and the outside world, and open new development paths⁴⁶. Chance factors operate in a specific historical environment to facilitate the new-technology introduction (Fig. 5).

Unique natural resources and similar production traditions are the basis of technology diffusion. The rapid diffusion of Xuchang Village’s musical instrument manufacturing technology couldn’t be separated from the local rich paulownia resources and the similar production tradition (wood processing). The former provided a tangible material basis for technology diffusion, while the latter provided an intangible spiritual basis for technology diffusion.

Business ties, blood ties, and geographical ties are the main corridors of production technology diffusion. Evolutionary economic geography believes that the convention is the track of evolution, thus forming a development path. It can be seen from the above measurement and analysis that business ties, blood ties, and geographical ties were important corridors for production technology diffusion. Among them, geographical ties provided the possibility for technology diffusion, business ties improved the efficiency of technology diffusion, and blood ties ensured the accuracy of technology diffusion. Business ties, blood ties and geographical ties together constituted an important corridor for the diffusion of manufacturing technology, promoting the formation of specialized communities and the innovation of regional industries.

Market demand is an important driving force for technology diffusion. The market was considered to be an important factor affecting the development of specialized communities, and changes in market demand will have a profound impact on the entire industry. When the market demand was large, the number of farmers learning the production technology of musical instruments increased, promoting the widespread spread of production technology in Xuchang Village. Once the supply exceeds the demand, it is easy to cause vicious competition within the industry, leading some musical instrument shop owners to suspend production or give up business, and hindering the spread of musical instrument production technology.

Cognitive proximity is a prerequisite for technology to spread and diffuse. Folk musical instrument technology was introduced in Xuchang Village by Dai Shiyong, who was able to do this because he had previously supplied raw materials to musical instrument factories in Shanghai. This helped him to introduce advanced musical instrument manufacturing technology quickly and accurately. Relational proximity enhances the quality and speed of technology diffusion. Relational proximity can generally be divided into two types: social relationships and kinship, both of which enhance the speed and quality of technology diffusion. The former built a bridge for the early diffusion of technology and supported the rapid accumulation of local talent. The latter can provide strong support for large-scale technology diffusion within a village and make technology diffusion more accurate and efficient. Geographical proximity facilitates rapid technology diffusion within a region. After the technology in Xuchang Village matured, it radiated to the surrounding villages. Not only were there similar family workshops, but some villages also engaged in soundboard processing, establishing positive interactions with the adjacent villages. Xuchang Village evolved into a “learning field” for the manufacture of musical instruments, and Guyang Town, the township where it is located, gradually developed into a specialized town in producing folk musical instruments.

Overall, there was a hierarchy of technology diffusion in Xuchang Village: technology source → pioneers → followers → diffusers → imitators. Technology diffusion was continuously transmitted downward through the corridors of business ties, blood ties, and geographical ties, based on cognitive proximity, relational proximity, and geographical proximity. It continuously diffused from the core to the periphery, eventually forming a technology diffusion network of the traditional handicraft-based specialized communities.

As a typical development model in China’s agricultural areas, specialized communities drive regional economic development. Technology is key to the transformation of ordinary communities into specialized communities in rural areas. Our investigation of the diffusion of folk musical instrument technology in Xuchang Village yielded some new findings.

● First, cognitive proximity is a prerequisite for effective technology transfer and plays a key role in the early formation stage of specialized communities. Previous studies, which attributed the formation of specialized communities to a single chance factor, failed to explain the main reasons for the sudden formation of specialized communities under similar conditions-that is, they ignored the key role of cognitive proximity in fostering local industry and technological talent^47,48.

● Second, quantitative analysis can more clearly show the different corridors of technology diffusion in specialized communities at different development stages. Previous studies tended to qualitatively describe technology diffusion corridors, which could not sufficiently explain the differences in diffusion corridors in different periods^25,27.

● Third, the Differential Mode of Association still obviously exists in Chinese communities, leading to a certain circle layer in technology diffusion or even “technology isolation”⁴². Some previous studies of specialized communities also found a circular layer of technology diffusion but did not explicitly identify “technology isolation”.

Several recommendations can be made based on our findings.

● Relying on local natural resources, production traditions and other characteristics, the introduction of enterprises with advanced technology. The emergence of special industries in agricultural areas is based on a certain development path, and their formation either relies on unique natural resources or benefits from past production traditions. Thus, the government should increase support for the introduction of advanced enterprises and provide preferential policies to promote the upgrading of local traditional industries^49,50.

● Focus on training and supporting capable people to accelerate technological diffusion. Capable people are the key factor in the formation and development of specialty industries in communities. Cultivating capable people can improve the quality of agricultural production and lay a solid foundation of human resources for regional industrial clusters. By introducing new technologies, they overcome the stereotypes of regional development, promote new path dependence, and innovatively support industrial development in the region⁵¹.

● Promote technical exchange between industrial actors and universities and research institutes to avoid the “side effects” of path dependence in industrial development. As a local management and service actor, the government should establish channels of knowledge and technology communication for universities, research institutes, and enterprises to avoid the effects of insufficient innovation ability, backward operation methods, and closed information communication owing to excessive path dependence^52,53. Only by encouraging communication and stimulating innovation can the core competitiveness of specialized communities be continuously improved.

The diffusion of musical instrument manufacturing technology in Xuchang Village went through four periods: (1) contact and learning, (2) imitation and derivation, (3) scale diffusion, and (4) radiation diffusion. Each period had different diffusion characteristics and corridors. Each period had different diffusion characteristics and corridors, which was of great significance for understanding the mechanism and influencing factors of technology diffusion.

● Firstly, the technology diffusion of Xuchang Village showed the characteristics of top-down, center-periphery, and had obvious hierarchy. This meant that technology diffusion was initially dominated by technology sources and factories, and then gradually spread to the periphery. This diffusion pattern reflected the influence of power and resources in technology dissemination, and also highlighted the important role of technology sources and factories in promoting technology development and dissemination.

● Secondly, in the technology diffusion network, technology sources and factories played a core role, the direction of transmission was irreversible, and small-scale group diffusion. This meant that technology spread was initially concentrated in small groups around technology sources and factories, and then gradually spread to a wider range. This mode of diffusion may be limited by the exchange of resources and information, so further exploration was needed to enhance the connectivity and sustainability of technology diffusion networks.

● Finally, in the process of technology diffusion, local factories and early followers were key nodes. Local factories played an important connecting role in technology diffusion, facilitating exchanges and cooperation between technology sources and workers. The early followers played a connecting role in the spread of technology, even more influential than local factories. This indicated that in technology diffusion, attention should be paid not only to the establishment of factories to introduce technology, but also to the training of local skilled workers (early followers) to establish a more diversified and flexible technology diffusion network.

Through the research of Xuchang Village’s musical instrument manufacturing technology dissemination, we can draw some theoretical and policy implications. First of all, we need to pay attention to the innovation capacity and resource advantages of technology sources and central areas, and provide support and guidance for technology dissemination. Second, we should strengthen the connectivity and sustainability of technology diffusion networks and promote exchanges and cooperation among technology sources, factories, and other stakeholders. In addition, we should also focus on the role of early followers, providing them with better training and support to drive the speed and quality of technology diffusion. Future research can further explore the following aspects. Firstly, we can deeply study other types of actors in the technology diffusion network, such as technology followers, technology imitators and technology workers, and analyze their roles and influencing factors in technology diffusion. Secondly, we can consider technology transmission cases in different fields and industries, and compare their diffusion characteristics and corridors to find commonalities and differences. Finally, empirical research and modeling analysis can be combined to explore the dynamic process and influence mechanism of technology dissemination, so as to provide scientific basis for policy formulation and practice. In short, the research of Xuchang Village’s musical instrument manufacturing technology transmission is of great significance to understand the mechanism and influencing factors of technology transmission. The study highlights the central role of technology sources and local factories in technology diffusion, highlighting the importance of early followers and technology dissemination networks. Future research can further deepen the understanding of technology diffusion actors and diffusion networks, and promote the relevant policies and practices of technology diffusion.

Statement

I, Qiankun Zhu, consciously assure that all experiments were performed in accordance with relevant named guidelines and regulations, I also confirm that all experimental protocols were approved by a named institutional and/or licensing committee, and the informed consent was obtained from all participants and/or their legal guardians.

Data availability

The results of the research can be found in the fgures attached to the article. The data set used to support the fndings of the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Author contributions

Study concept and design: Q.Z. and J.Q. Acquisition of data: Q.Z. B.A.D. and S.I. Analysis and interpretation of data: Q.Z. and J.Q. Drafing of the manuscript: Q.Z. and J.Q. and S.I. Critical revision of the manuscript: Q.Z. and B.A.D. Statistical analysis: Q.Z. and J.Q. All authors have read the fnished manuscript; approve and take primary responsibility for the fnal content.

Funding information: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 42071220, 42201220.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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China's traditional rural communities rely on technology diffusion to achieve transformation and development

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