Social Construction Functions of Consumption Space under Stratification:The Case of Guangzhou

As Chinese cities rapidly transformed themselves into consumerist societies,the relationship between consumers and consumption space under stratification has become a new research area in the field of urban social geography.Based on a consumer behavior analysis,this study explores the relationship between consumption space and the social strata of consumers in typical shopping malls in Guangzhou where the first shopping mall in China was built.The result shows that shopping malls have performed significant constructive functions of organizing consumers from different social classes into different consumption space.For middle-and upper-class consumers,the function of shopping malls centers on utilitarian consumption,identity recognition,and identity construction;whereas for lower-class consumers,its function revolves around pleasure and enjoyment.The symbolism of consumption space is the underlying reason for shopping malls to have their social constructive function.The findings of this research suggest that:1) a shopping mall is a productive consumption space and a geographical space with subjectivity;2) the micro-location of a shopping mall has social construction function;and 3) symbolic consumption is the core of social construction.

Development Characteristics of Beautiful Countryside in Hangzhou, Regarding Theory of Consumption Space Production: A Comparative Study on Three Villages

In China, the Beautiful Countryside Development is a prototype of New Countryside Construction whose development mechanism is closely related to the urbanization level of the region. Regarding the consumption space production of the metropolis amid the accelerating process of urbanization since the 1990 s, the declination of traditional villages is just inevitable. Thus, under the circumstances of new urbanization, the development of traditional villages is more and more related to the expansion of urban consumption space and the modernization of agriculture, as proved by the formation of a concentric-radial pattern of rings of consumption spaces in the rural area surrounding Hangzhou. Taking three villages around Hangzhou as a typical example of the Beautiful Countryside Development, this paper puts forward a Beauty Index System to evaluate their development characteristics and analyzes their development mechanisms respectively. It proves that the three villages are all characterized by the integrity of both production space and consumption space, yet with different attributes in terms of human settlement, society and culture, and industrial structure. It concludes that this is the result of various driving forces which also result in the formation of a concentric-radial pattern of rings in rural areas amid urbanization.