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The development of digitalized rural communities has injected fresh vitality into the modernization process of China's agricultural sector and countryside regions. This integration not only bridges the gap between contemporary information technology and traditional agriculture but also opens up unprecedented entrepreneurial opportunities for rural youth. By leveraging digital tools and platforms, these young individuals can tap into new markets, enhance productivity, and create sustainable livelihoods. However, the question arises as to whether this ambitious construction of digital villages actually enhances the entrepreneurial intentions of rural youth and what specific mechanisms are at play. To address these critical questions, this paper delves deeply into how digital villages influence rural youth entrepreneurship. This study utilizes survey data from Zhejiang Province, one of the pioneering regions in China's digital transformation, to provide a nuanced understanding of the phenomenon. The research employs a range of sophisticated methodologies, including the entropy weight-TOPSIS method for evaluating digital village development, multiple linear regression models to isolate the impact of various factors, ridge regression to handle potential multicollinearity, mediation effect tests to explore underlying mechanisms, and moderating effect tests to identify contextual influences. Additionally, this study explores the differential impacts stemming from digital heterogeneity across various dimensions of digital villages, as well as comparisons between pilot and non-pilot areas. The findings suggest that: (1) the establishment of digital villages significantly promotes the enhancement of entrepreneurial intentions of rural youth, with significant direct influence effects from level of development of the digital economy, level of digital livelihood construction, level of digital governance implementation, and level of digital infrastructure development. (2) The mechanism tests indicate that digital village construction enhances entrepreneurial intentions of rural youth by improving their digital literacy, and native cultural affection, social capital and entrepreneurial environment positively moderates the influence of building digital villages. (3) The effect of digital village initiatives on entrepreneurial aspirations of rural youth is subject to significant heterogeneity in the effect of genders, educational attainment, level of economic development, and whether it is a pilot region for digital village construction. This conclusion offers empirical evidence to support the promotion of building digital villages., offering practical implications for China and other developing nations.

This research empirically analyzes the impact of ESG disclosure on firm value in Chinese listed companies and investigates the moderating role of CEO power in this relationship. In recent years, companies have increasingly emphasized sustainable management and social responsibility, with ESG disclosure becoming an important strategic tool. ESG disclosure transparently communicates a company’s approach and performance in fulfilling its social responsibilities and pursuing environmental sustainability, playing a crucial role in conveying the company’s long-term value and credibility to stakeholders such as investors and consumers. The growing importance of ESG factors has led to an increased focus on sustainability, making it essential for companies to disclose information related to environmental, social, and governance practices. However, while some studies have shown positive effects of ESG disclosure on firm value, others have found negative or insignificant effects. These inconsistent results suggest that various external, industrial, and internal factors may influence the impact of ESG disclosure on firm value. Notably, managerial characteristics, particularly CEO power, may serve as a significant differentiating factor in determining the quality and quantity of ESG disclosure, which in turn affects firm value. This research analyzes the relationship between ESG disclosure and firm value based on data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2015 to 2023 and empirically examines the moderating effect of CEO power on this relationship. The results confirm that companies with stronger CEO power tend to experience a more positive impact of ESG disclosure on market value and financial performance. In other words, companies with CEOs who actively promote ESG activities are more likely to see ESG disclosure contribute significantly to long-term growth and competitive advantage. These findings suggest that CEO power is an important moderating variable that enhances the effect of ESG disclosure, highlighting the crucial role of managerial characteristics in driving a company’s sustainable management strategy. Additionally, this research differentiates itself from existing research by demonstrating how managerial characteristics moderate the relationship between ESG disclosure and firm value, providing a deeper understanding of the connection between ESG disclosure and CEO power. Thus, the current research empirically demonstrates the important role of CEO power in maximizing the effects of ESG disclosure and enhancing firm value through strategic decision-making. These results provide valuable insights for future research on the strategic use of ESG disclosure and decision-making in firms.

Scientific and technological innovation in higher education has become increasingly critical in China due to the disappearing demographic dividend and expansion of higher education institutions in the country. While existing research has examined various aspects of university innovation, significant gaps remain in this field of study. By proposing a multi-method assessment framework, this study addresses a key gap in higher education research, and its empirical results can guide higher education institutions in China in scientifically arranging their input–output resources for technological innovation and consequently improve their technological innovation efficiency in a highly competitive environment. Using data from 29 provinces and combining the DEA game-cross model with the CCR model, we evaluate the technological innovation efficiency of higher education institutions and its spatial distribution across China from 2011 to 2020. It reveals the spatial and temporal patterns of efficiency distribution. We also perform a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to identify the optimal process configurations for improving the technological innovation efficiency of higher education institutions in China. Our analysis incorporates multiple dimensions including R&D personnel, university-enterprise interaction, market openness, technological communication, government support, and infrastructure development. The study reveals three distinct pathways to achieving high innovation efficiency. The infrastructure-driven path, exemplified by provinces, relies on the support from infrastructure to attract R&D talent and enterprise collaboration. The collaboration-based path leverages synergies between university-enterprise interaction, technological communication, and infrastructure development. The policy-supported path, observed in provinces like Fujian and Gansu, achieves efficiency through either superior infrastructure or targeted government support. The study finds that: (1) The efficiency of technological innovation in Chinese universities shows an overall growth trend, with acceleration after 2018, though displaying a persistent 'western depression' in spatial distribution. (2) In the new era situation, mastering cutting-edge knowledge alone is insufficient; higher innovation efficiency requires strong enterprise collaboration. (3) The attractiveness of good infrastructure and R&D personnel endowment catalyzes more school-enterprise cooperation, driving higher educational technology innovation efficiency. These findings advance our understanding of regional innovation systems by demonstrating how different combinations of factors can lead to successful innovation outcomes in varying regional contexts. The results contribute to technological innovation management in educational institutions and offer practical implications for policymakers that can help enhance the innovation capabilities of different regions. Apart from contributing international experiences to the construction of a globally innovative higher education landscape, this endeavor also aims to effectively build global strategic, scientific, and technological capabilities and provide high-quality services for establishing global talent hubs and innovation centers.

In recent years, major countries globally have adopted the internationalization of higher education as their key strategy to bolster their higher education’s global reach and competitiveness. In the wave of globalization, China’s education for international students in China has flourished. Since the reform and opening-up, China’s social economy has grown steadily and its overall national strength has been continuously enhanced. Education for international students in China has progressively become a vital component of China’s higher education system and it is also an important symbol of China’s status as a global education power. Since the beginning of the new century, an increasing number of countries around the world have recognized the bright future of China’s development and gained a deeper understanding of the unique charm of Chinese culture. China has maintained long-term political stability, enjoyed sustained and steady economic growth, and possesses a profound and time-honored cultural heritage. China has become one of the major destination countries for international students to choose for their studies. The potential value of international students in China has attracted increasing attention from many countries around the world. The Chinese government places significant emphasis on educating international students within its borders, and the conditions for these students are continually enhancing. This thesis takes the “inbound internationalization policy in China’s higher education” as its research object, and intends to conduct discussion and analysis from three aspects: the motivations and goals, implementation process, achievements and evaluations of the inbound internationalization policy of China’s higher education, before drawing conclusions. Based on the above research approach, this paper elaborates on the characteristics of the evolution of inbound internationalization policies in China’s higher education. It will also contribute to the formulation and improvement of education policies for international students in the future and reveal new laws of the development of higher education.

What Are the Experiences and Perceptions of International Chinese Language Teachers Participating in Global Chinese Language Programs? This study aims to understand the motivations and experiences of teachers participating in international Chinese language programs, explore their psychological changes throughout the process, and provide insights for optimizing these programs based on their perspectives and opinions. To achieve this, the study adopts a qualitative research approach, examining six teachers with experience in international Chinese language programs. The key findings are as follows: First, participants joined international Chinese language programs due to practical considerations such as pursuing financial independence and alleviating employment pressure. Additionally, some teachers participated in these programs to fulfill their sense of personal "vanity." Second, although participants found satisfaction in witnessing student growth and promoting cultural exchange, challenges such as health crises, difficulties in personal relationships, and workplace bullying gradually diminished their enthusiasm for their work, leading to job burnout. Third, after leaving their positions, participants generally held negative attitudes toward international Chinese language programs. Even if they experienced some level of "job satisfaction," they faced significant challenges upon returning to their home countries. These included the lack of recognition for overseas teaching experience, the loss of advantages associated with being a recent graduate, and inadequate social security and welfare benefits. These factors exacerbated their career anxiety and financial stress, preventing them from sustaining a long-term career as international Chinese language teachers. The study highlights that the lack of social security and housing funds is one of the primary reasons for teacher attrition. Based on these findings, this study recommends establishing a comprehensive social security system for international Chinese language teachers to enhance their sense of security and belonging while working abroad, as well as setting up an emergency fund to provide individual care and institutional support. At the same time, it is necessary to improve mechanisms for career development and post-assignment employment support, enhance the recognition and professional value of overseas teaching experience, and broaden teachers’ career development paths. Furthermore, the study suggests strengthening humanistic care and psychological support, optimizing the work environment and complaint response mechanisms, in order to improve teachers’ job satisfaction and sense of belonging, and to enhance their cultural adaptability.

This study investigates the doctrinal and practical challenges surrounding the application of the doctrine of changed circumstances within China’s economic contract law framework. The core research problem addressed is the lack of clarity in defining the legal thresholds for applying this doctrine, along with inconsistent judicial interpretations that hinder legal certainty and predictability among contracting parties. The doctrine of changed circumstances, derived from the Roman law concept of rebus sic stantibus, is intended to provide equitable solutions when unforeseen external factors-such as significant market fluctuations, governmental policy shifts, or public health emergenciesfundamentally alter the contractual balance. While the incorporation of this principle into Article 533 of the Civil Code of China marked an important legal development, its application remains inconsistent due to vague statutory language and wide judicial discretion. This paper conducts a doctrinal analysis of Chinese legal provisions and systematically reviews representative court decisions involving economic hardship, including cases affected by price volatility, COVID-19-related disruptions, and administrative regulation changes. These case studies reveal recurring issues such as the ambiguous delineation between changed circumstances and force majeure, as well as the lack of clear procedural guidance for renegotiation obligations. In particular, the paper delves into the practical challenges and theoretical debates surrounding the duty to renegotiate, highlighting its uncertain legal status and operational difficulties in judicial practice. Moreover, through a comparative analysis of theoretical scholarship and judicial reasoning, the study reveals the structural disjunction between legal theory and adjudicative logic and explores potential paths to bridge this gap. To enhance legal coherence, the paper compares China’s approach with those adopted in Germany, France, and Anglo-American jurisdictions. The comparative analysis reveals divergent interpretations and institutional mechanisms, including structured renegotiation procedures, judicial intervention thresholds, and risk allocation doctrines. These models offer valuable insights for reforming the Chinese system. In addition, the paper advocates for clearer legislative standards to define “substantial change” and “manifest unfairness,” the codification of renegotiation obligations as enforceable legal duties, and the issuance of judicial guidelines to reduce discretionary inconsistencies. Economic analysis of law is employed to evaluate the cost-efficiency and normative implications of such reforms. This study contributes to the refinement of China’s contract law by proposing targeted reforms that enhance fairness, contractual stability, and legal certainty in the face of an increasingly volatile economic environment. The research aims to assist both legislators and judicial practitioners in bridging the gap between legal theory and enforceable standards in commercial practice.

This study systematically analyzes the evolution of spatial patterns and driving factors of county-level economies in Jilin Province from 2013 to 2022, applying the standard deviation ellipse method and the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model for panel data analysis. The results provide a scientific basis for understanding spatial economic pattern changes in Jilin Province, offering data-driven insights and theoretical foundations to promote more balanced regional economic development. The findings reveal a distinct "core-periphery" differentiation in Jilin's county economies, with economic activities gradually concentrated in the southeast direction and the degree of spatial agglomeration increased significantly. Spatial patterns of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries show marked divergence: while the primary industry remains clustered in the northern black soil region, secondary and tertiary industries have gradually expanded southward. Analysis of economic imbalance and dynamic indices highlights evolving disparities among counties. Notably, high dynamic indices in primary and tertiary industries reflect inter-county growth disparities, where remote counties experienced negative economic growth contrasted with southeastern counties' economic dominance. The study identifies a transitional phase in Jilin's county economic development: initial resource dependence has gradually shifted toward market-driven mechanisms and industrial restructuring under policy interventions and market forces. Overall, Jilin's county economies demonstrate spatial agglomeration and differentiated development shaped by multiple drivers. Persistent challenges include: (1) conflicts between resource endowment advantages and modern industrial system development, (2) tensions between central cities' polarization effects and county-level synergistic development, and (3) transitional friction between traditional factor-driven growth and innovation-driven strategies. To address these, the study proposes three coordinated strategies: (1) "industrial renewal + emerging sector cultivation", (2) "spatial optimization + equitable resource allocation", (3) "digital transformation + policy innovation", providing actionable references for building a modernized, sustainable economic framework in Jilin Province.

This study aims to analyze the digital policies and regeneration cases related to traditional crafts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, with the objective of exploring their applicability to the digital development of traditional crafts in China. By comparing the policy directions, technological adoption strategies, and sociocultural contexts of these countries, the study seeks to diagnose the challenges China faces in its digital transition and to propose practical and sustainable development strategies. The research employs an integrated methodology combining literature review, case analysis, and comparative study, focusing on the systematic structure of digital policies, implementation mechanisms, levels of technological integration, and the impact on public engagement. Representative cases include the UK’s Red List of Endangered Crafts, the US’s American Memory Project and Black Craftspeople Digital Archive, Japan’s Japan Search platform and the Kyoto Institute of Technology’s Fusion of Traditional Craft and Advanced Technology program, and South Korea’s Cheongju Cultural Factory and the Gongju Digital Cultural Heritage Festival. The analysis reveals that the UK stands out as a model for institutionalized preservation policies and international governance frameworks. The US demonstrates strong achievements in digital preservation standardization, accessibility, and the establishment of online distribution platforms. Japan actively promotes the industrialization and commercialization of crafts through advanced technological integration, while South Korea expands the social value and contemporary function of traditional crafts through immersive exhibitions, digital content development, and participatory cultural programs. Based on these findings, the study proposes strategic directions for China’s digital transformation of traditional crafts, including the reinforcement of policy support systems, the cultivation of skilled professionals and cooperative networks, the establishment of scientific systems for classification, documentation, and preservation, sustained investment in digital innovation, refinement of international cooperation mechanisms, and the advancement of branding strategies that reflect regional identity and cultural specificity. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the necessity of aligning these efforts with China’s Cultural Renaissance initiative and National Cultural Digitalization Strategy in order to achieve the systematic preservation, creative inheritance, and global dissemination of traditional crafts through digital technologies.