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Economist explores human stories behind development_我的网站

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    Zhou Jiang speaks at an event. Photo: Courtesy of Zhou Jiang
Zhou Jiang, a researcher at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, has a favorite book:  White Deer Tableland or Bai Lu Yuan by renowned writer Chen Zhongshi.
As vice president of the Regional Science Association of China (RSAC), Zhou told the Global Times that a lifetime of reading has profoundly shaped the way he sees and understands the world. It ultimately led him to a career in research and academia, where he teaches and pursues scholarly work.
Since earning his PhD in economics in 2000, he has devoted himself to the study of regional science and economics, a field that demands a constant crossing of disciplinary boundaries, drawing on the fields of geography, sociology, history, and ecology among others.
"Reading has kept alive my sense of curiosity and taught me to ask questions with patience and persistence: Where do disparities in regional development come from? How do policies affect different groups in society? And how can a region pursue both efficiency and equity so that development is not merely effective, but also imbued with a greater sense of humanity and warmth?" Zhou noted. 
Founded in 1991, RSAC is a national academic society dedicated to advancing domestic and international academic exchange and cooperation, providing consulting services on spatial planning, urbanization, and regional development, and offering intellectual support for China's modernization drive.
The 57-year-old researcher noted that reading has empowered him in two distinct ways.
"The first is discernment. When confronted with a complex issue, I try not to settle for a simple conclusion. Instead, I make an effort to understand its broader context, how it has unfolded, and the perspectives of the different people involved," he said. 
"The second is a sense of inner steadiness. Setbacks are an inevitable part of both life and work. Good books remind us that hardship is never ours alone to bear; countless people before us have faced circumstances more difficult than our own, made difficult choices, and found the strength to carry on. Reading cannot solve every problem for us, but it can help us remain calm when challenges arise, giving us the clarity and resilience that allow us not to panic or give up too easily," he said. 
Historical depth

Each time Zhou returns to the White Deer Tableland, he finds something different in its pages. 
"When I first read it as a young person, I was drawn primarily to the characters and the twists and turns of their lives. Later, as I began researching regional economics, I found myself paying closer attention to the changes in the land, the countryside, families and social order presented in the story. Now, approaching 60, I have come to appreciate more deeply the choices the characters make, the constraints they face, and the quiet perseverance they show amid the sweeping currents of their times," he said. 
White Deer Tableland uses Bai Lu village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a microcosm, tracing the feuds and intertwined fortunes of three generations of the Bai (literally meaning white) and Lu families. Through their stories, it captures more than half a century of sweeping historical change, from the final years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1970s and 1980s. The novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China's top literature awards, in 1997.
Zhou prefers literary works with historical depth and a keen eye for social change. 
Regional economics may appear to be concerned with the spatial distribution of industries, population and resources, but at its heart, it is about how people live on a particular piece of land, and why some places flourish while others decline, he noted. 
In this sense, literature and history are more than pastimes beyond professional research. They often help him understand the historical context, cultural traditions and social mentality that lie behind economic data, he said. 
When reading novels, Zhou said that he often pays close attention to the relationship between people and the places they inhabit: How the land shapes the local character, how transportation transforms a region, and how shifts in industry reshape families and villages. Such details may not offer a direct conclusion, but they broaden a researcher's perspective. They also serve as a reminder that research should look beyond growth rates and statistical indicators to consider the sense of fulfillment experienced by ordinary people and the dignity of human beings.
Understanding ourselves
Once, while tidying his study, he came across a book filled with notes he had scribbled in his early years. Among them was a question that particularly caught his attention: "In the face of sweeping changes in the times and profound social transformation, what can a person truly determine for himself?"
Looking at those words he had written in his youth was like coming face to face with the person he had been decades ago.
Reading is not simply the act of understanding a book; it is also a record of a person's own growth, he said. The same book can reveal something entirely different when read at different stages of life. 
When we are young, we turn to books in search of answers; but when we become seasoned, we read more to understand life, to understand others, and ultimately, to better understand ourselves, Zhou said. 
In this era of fragmented information, AI can help people access information quickly, organize materials, and gain a basic understanding of unfamiliar fields. Yet deep reading, Zhou said, allows people to see how a conclusion is reached — what evidence supports it, where its boundaries lie, and what alternative interpretations it may invite.
What truly shapes a person, after all, is not how much information they have browsed, but the words that have made them pause and reflect - and the words that have remained with them for many years, he added. 
。    每日商报讯 南街喝酒，北街吃串！今年夏天，西湖区转塘街道BAC艺术社区联动塘人街市共同发起塘街夜市，把两处夜市连成一场消夏夜游。

二 | 走进塘街夜市，音乐声、碰杯声、欢笑声交织成曲，各色美食摊位沿街铺开，烟火气与夜生活交织升腾。

三 | 与去年BAC艺术社区“单点作战”不同，今年南北两大夜市区块首次打通，BAC艺术社区现场设置12个特色摊位，与塘人街市本身档口形成联动，从“各自为营”升级为“南北呼应”，让市民游客“一筷一杯，吃遍南街北市”。“夜市开摆后，夜间客流每天增加500余人次，南北联动也激发了更大的消费活力。”夜市相关负责人介绍，夜市涵盖生腌、卤味、热炒、酒水等品类，共吸引50余个摊主报名参与。

四 | 这场消夜席在每周五、六、日及节假日17:30—22:00准时开启，从炎炎夏日延续至9月中旬。这种南北联动的模式，让转塘居民的“夜生活半径”悄然扩大。过去只能在BAC艺术社区里“逛一圈”的年轻人，如今可以沿着夜市路线一路逛到塘人街市，体验从南到北、从美食到潮玩的全链条夜消费场景。

五 | “以前在转塘晚上不知道去哪里，现在下班后约朋友来喝一杯、吃个串，再到塘人街市逛逛，一个晚上的安排满满当当。”在附近工作的“00后”姑娘小郑表示。夜市的人气也让摊主们对转塘的消费潜力有了新的判断。摊主方糖卫永在杭州已有三家门店，这次摆摊主打“土菜洋酒”主题，将自有品牌“霸王醒醒”里的酒与杭州本土老字号“江南第一糟”里的糟味相结合。“BAC艺术社区的客群具备好玩、敢于尝试的年轻化特质，正是我们的目标客群。”除了美食与美酒，夜市现场还配套了丰富的娱乐活动。每周六晚上8点，“整点瓜吃”让“吃瓜群众”准时“杀”瓜；每周日晚上7点的“夏日放映”开启露天电影，为夜游增添一份浪漫。另外还有“夏夜噪点”点燃夏夜热情，DJ现场演绎、即兴喜剧和吉他弹唱轮番登场。今年以来，转塘街道基于艺术氛围浓、烟火气息旺的区域特点，通过鼓励规范化夜市外摆、引进特色夜市品牌等方式，推动新消费转型升级。接下来，BAC艺术社区与塘人街市也将继续联动，推动优质摊主从“临时出摊”走向“常态经营”。

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Published on:13:20:25