Collective resilience is the ability of human beings to adapt and collectively cope with crises in adversity. Emotional expression is the core element with which to characterize the psychological dimension of collective resilience. This research proposed a stage model of collective resilience based on the temporal evolution of the public opinions of COVID-19 in China’s first anti-pandemic cycle; using data from hot searches and commentaries on Sina Weibo, the changes in the emotional patterns of social groups are revealed through analyses of the sentiments expressed in texts. A grounded theory approach is used to elucidate the factors influencing collective resilience. The research results show that collective resilience during the pandemic exhibited an evolutionary process that could be termed, “preparation–process–recovery”. Analyses of expressed sentiments reveal an evolutionary pattern of “positive emotion prevailing–negative emotion appearing–positive emotion recovering Collective resilience from a psycho-emotional perspective is the result of “basic cognition-intermediary condition-consequence” positive feedback, in which the basic cognition is expressed as will embeddedness and the intermediary conditions include the subject behavior and any associated derived behavioral characteristics and spiritual connotation. These results are significant both theoretically and practically with regard to the reconstruction of collective resilience when s‘ force majeure’ event occur.

China’s socioeconomic transformation and rapid urbanization since the end of the 20th Century have had an important impact on the social spatial structure of large cities. Social differentiation within cities is becoming increasingly prominent. Using detailed data gathered by the Fifth National Population Census of 2000, this study compares the social spatial structure and dynamic mechanisms of the core areas of the cities of Beijing and Chengdu. Factorial ecology analysis is used at the mesoscale to explore the following research questions: ‘How did factors shape the social spaces of two cities with similar topography but at different stages of development during China’s transition from a planned to a market economy?’; and ‘Are the traditional Western theories of socio-spatial interpretation equally applicable to China?’. The results show that Chengdu exhibits a combination of a concentric circle, fan-shaped, and multi-core socio-spatial structure, while Beijing shows a fan-shaped structure. In 2000, influenced by its overall level and stage of socioeconomic development, Beijing was experiencing a faster socio-spatial transformation than Chengdu, and the driving effect of capital on social differentiation and spatial competition was more obvious. The main dynamic mechanisms driving the formation of socio-spatial structures in Beijing and Chengdu include the natural environmental foundation, historical inheritance, urban planning, housing policies, and international influence. The three major variables in the study of traditional Western social spaces, namely economy, family, and ethnic status, were confirmed as applicable to our two case study cities with socioeconomic status as measured by occupation and housing conditions exerting the strongest effect. This perspective of comparing different cities in the same transitional period offers unique insights in identifying the key drivers of socio-spatial differentiation and polarization and their relative magnitude of effect, while enriching the catalog of empirical urban social space research both in China and in the rest of the world.

In recent decades, the increasing threats of global climate change, natural disasters, and epidemics have brought extensive attention to resilience theory. However, most studies focus on the physical aspects of cities, overlooking the significance of the social perspective. This study addresses this gap by using social areas as the core spatial unit for analysis. By constructing a scientific indicator system and employing the set pair analysis method, this study comprehensively evaluates the multidimensional resilience levels of Beijing’s central area during its transitional period (1990–2020). The findings reveal that socio-spatial divisions, which emphasize the network structure of social relations and the dynamic changes in social spaces, are more suitable than traditional administrative divisions as fundamental units for resilience assessment. During Beijing’s transitional period, the comprehensive resilience of the central area and all social areas steadily increased, although social capital resilience faced the challenges of loss and slow recovery. Social areas with a unique internal connection, such as those based on ethnicity, exhibited more positive social capital resilience development. Additionally, social areas with lower population diversity and greater homogeneity tended to have higher comprehensive resilience and a more positive trend in social capital resilience development, whereas highly heterogeneous social areas faced significant constraints in resilience development. These findings may provide valuable insights for cities and communities to enhance their capacity to address future uncertainties and assist policymakers in making informed governance decisions.

Master’s degree-level graduates in Subject Teaching (Geography) (hereinafter referred to as STG) in Chinese normal universities form a valuable pool of pre-service secondary school geography teachers. These graduates provide a comprehensive picture of the quality, focus and outcomes of current geography teacher training programs. However, there is a relative dearth of research appertaining to their research capabilities and the quality of their educational development. To address this gap, the present study adopts bibliometric and comparative analysis to shed light on the overall trends and specific characteristics of STG master’s theses from 2016 to 2022. The findings indicate that universities with divergent levels of subject assessment prioritize different research emphases, leading to variations in the depth of investigation into new teaching materials and the level of alignment with frontline geography teaching. Furthermore, in comparison with cutting-edge international and domestic research, the master’s theses of STG students are characterized by microscopic scale and insufficient depth. A three-pronged collaborative framework has therefore been advocated with the aim of enhancing the quality of STG graduates as pre-service geography teachers. This comprises close interactions among on-campus and off-campus tutors and learners, a partnership between universities and secondary schools, and inter-university cooperation.

Territorial spatial planning for towns and villages is essential for promoting urban–rural integration and sustainable development, particularly in rapidly urbanizing megacities. This study reviews theories and practices of spatial and rural planning, focusing on policy frameworks for town and village planning in Chinese megacities. Using Chengdu as a case study, it analyses the evolution and current approaches to territorial spatial planning from spatial and institutional perspectives. Policy documents are systematically coded and analysed using MAXQDA, complemented by a micro-level examination and comparative analysis of representative village-level zones. The findings highlight three core aspects. First, planning formulation and implementation are shaped by higher-level guiding policies, spatial layouts, public services, infrastructure provision, and land-use optimisation. Second, Chengdu adopts a cross-jurisdictional planning framework that defines planning units according to natural geographical and economic linkages rather than administrative boundaries, combining regulatory controls with flexible policy measures. Third, village-level zones are categorised into integrated development, town-driven growth, and ecological conservation, supporting differentiated spatial strategies through comprehensive land consolidation. Overall, Chengdu’s approach reflects a Conservation–Remediation–Optimisation (CRO) framework that integrates ecological and agricultural protection, spatial remediation, and the coordinated optimisation of settlements, public services, and urban–rural linkages. Effective implementation further requires improved policy transmission, enhanced supervision, and technical empowerment across planning levels. Rather than presenting Chengdu as a universally replicable model, this study identifies planning principles and implementation conditions that may provide conditional references for other rapidly urbanising megacities.