Digital infrastructure and grassroots transformation in mountain urbanization: the case of Chongli, China’s Olympic mountain city
Abstract ID: 3.12716 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA
Mengke Zhang (1)
This research explores the growing importance of digital infrastructure as a hybrid complex where physical and virtual spaces intersect, profoundly reshaping mountain urbanization in an increasingly digitized era. As part of my PhD project, the research focuses on the transformation of Chongli, China’s first Olympic mountain city co-hosting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Through seven months of field research conducted between 2021 and 2024, I observed how digital platforms have become deeply embedded in local economies and social structures. A particularly compelling aspect is the role of grassroots communities and residents who, empowered by digital technologies, actively participate in and shape emerging mountain economies. This is evident in the proliferation of informal businesses offering ski- and tourism-related services—ranging from ski equipment rentals and apartment accommodations to ski instruction and adventure photography—facilitated by platforms such as Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok), and Huabei (China’s top ski service app). A striking example is the rise of Chongli’s estimated 3,000 independent ski instructors, often referred to as “black instructors” by ski resorts, which perceive them as unauthorized competitors. Many of these instructors, initially trained within resorts, have transitioned to independent work, leveraging digital platforms to attract a steady stream of clients and significantly increasing their earnings compared to traditional employment. This dynamic has, in turn, intensified the informal labor market while reshaping labor relations between ski resorts and local workers. By examining the intersection of digital platforms and mountain urbanization, this research highlights that digital technologies are not merely tools for economic exchange but have become integral to Chongli’s infrastructure. They are profoundly reshaping social connections in the mountains and providing new possibilities for “differential urbanization” in Chongli, which moves away from the homogeneity often seen in urbanization processes.
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