WANG Liyao is a PHD candidate of College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University. She holds a Master of Science (MSc) from the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (UCL), and a BUP in Urban Planning from Harbin Institute of Technology, China. Her current research interest is in the field of urban and rural planning theory and design, including urban-rural integration, rural revitalisation, and employment spatial distribution at the county level in the Chinese context.