Abstract：This work is about the study of the involvement of architects and academic institutions in rural revitalization practices in
contemporary China. Following the “policy-phenomenon-effect” framework, the study introduces an innovative aspect previously
unexplored, examining the comprehensive impact of rural revitalization policies on architectural practices over the
past two decades. The work can be considered a contribution to a longer-standing discourse on rural revitalization in China
and it concerns specifically architectural practices, and academic engagement in the renewed attention to the countryside.
Following an analysis of the existing studies on the topic, the article proposes a chronological categorization of the phenomenon,
placing architectural practice at the core of this framework. Through a systematic study of the architecture production
in the countryside within the framework of rural revitalization, the analysis unfolds in three distinct periods: the pioneering
phase (1978–2003), the maturing phase (2004–2021), and the consolidating phase (towards 2049). Within the maturing phase,
which represents the core of the study, two main trajectories are identified: an independent architectural experimentation and
a policy-driven response that encompasses both an institutional response from universities as well as independent practices.
To support this periodization, three relevant representatives of these trajectories are selected: Li Xiaodong practice, the Rural
Revitalization Center of Tsinghua University, and the independent practice of DnA_Design and Architecture studio.
