The South China Sea has emerged as a focal region in geographical research. This study reviews the progress of geographical scholarship on the South China Sea in China, drawing upon the four classical traditions of geography: the Spatial Tradition, Area Studies Tradition, Man-Land Tradition, and Earth Science Tradition. Research grounded in the Spatial Tradition primarily employs geographic information technologies to analyze the spatial distribution of reefs and infrastructure, and utilizes cartographic and critical mapping approaches to represent territorial elements and construct sovereignty narratives. Studies rooted in the Area Studies Tradition focus on characterizing the regional features and local contexts of Hainan Island, the South China Sea, and its surrounding areas. Research under the Man-Land Tradition examines the historical evolution of man – sea relationships and the production of local knowledge. Earth Science Traditionbased studies mainly address marine monitoring, scientific expeditions, natural regionalization, and development assessments of the South China Sea. Furthermore, this paper identifies three key directions for future geographical research on the South China Sea—data integration, mechanism exploration, and strategic formulation. Future research should build upon the integration of the four major traditions of geography to establish a comprehensive analytical framework of "pattern-process-mechanism-governance, " linking data, processes, and decision-making.

Utilising dynamic fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis(QCA) on panel data from 11 coastal provinces(municipalities and autonomous regions) in China spanning 2012 to 2022, this study investigates the configurational pathways through which multi-factor matching impacts integrated land-sea planning.This methodological approach is instrumental in investigating the configurational pathways and necessary conditions through which multi-factor matching impacts the realisation of integrated land-sea planning objectives. The findings reveal: 1) Between the years 2012 and 2022, there has been a consistent enhancement in the levels of multi-factor matching and integrated planning across all provinces, accompanied by the observation of significant spatial disparities. 2) High-level integrated planning configurations encompass three distinct models.

Using the entropy weight method, Dagum Gini coefficient method, and spatial econometric models, this paper analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, regional differences, and influencing factors of urban regeneration in the study area from 2011 to 2022.The main conclusions are as follows: 1) In terms of temporal evolution, the level of urban regeneration in the study area exhibits a fluctuating trend of "rise-decline-rise", eventually showing a gradual upward trend.2) Regarding spatial differentiation and regional disparities, at the urban agglomeration level, the Wuhan Metropolitan Area consistently leads, while the urban agglomeration around Poyang Lake lags behind for a long time.3) In terms of influencing factors, financial development, openness to the outside world, population agglomeration, and economic development level have positive effects on local urban regeneration.

The low-altitude economy is exerting a significant influence on China's existing industrial landscape, yet its industrial network structure and driving factors remain a "black box." This study compiles data and information from China's low-altitude economy companies listed on the A-share, Hong Kong stock, and New Third Board markets, selecting representative enterprises established before December 31, 2024. Based on headquarters-branch linkages, we construct a low-altitude economy industrial network in China and investigate its spatial characteristics and influencing factors. The findings reveal that: 1) The spatial distribution of China's low-altitude economy enterprises exhibits a distinct "core-periphery" structure, with functional specialization across different segments of the value chain. 2) The topology of the inter-city networks formed by these linkages varies significantly by function. The R&D network is polycentric in structure, reliant on knowledge flows and collaborative innovation between high-tier cities possessing robust scientific capabilities and talent pools. 3) The co-evolution of technology and institutions is the central driver of network formation. Technological proximity and organizational proximity facilitate knowledge exchange and collaborative agglomeration, while policy guidance and environmental variations shape the overall network architecture.

Rural residents' settlement intention is a critical indicator for assessing rural development potential and sustainability. Based on the "Environment Perception–Place Attachment–Settlement Decision" framework, this study analyzes 360 survey responses from Huangmen Town using binary logistic regression to explore perceptions, group disparities, and influencing factors. The results indicate that: 1) Residents are generally satisfied with their living environment(mean=3.31), with neighborhood relations scoring highest and public service facilities lowest. 2) Significant group differences exist, where settlement intention correlates positively with environmental satisfaction; females exhibit higher intentions than males, while education and income levels are significantly and negatively correlated with these intentions. 3) Current village living environment, cultural and recreational facilities, healthcare services, transportation infrastructure, the administrative capacity of village cadres, and neighborhood relations all exert positive impacts on residents' settlement decisions.

The ocean is a strategic place for high-quality development, and technology transfer is an important way to promote regional marine technology progress. Based on the perspective of patent transfer, this paper uses the data of national marine invention patent transfer in 2011, 2016 and 2021 to describe the spatial evolution law of national marine technology flow, and discusses its driving mechanism based on multidimensional proximity theory. The study finds that: 1) The scale of marine patents and the total amount of technology flow links have increased significantly. Enterprises have always been the main suppliers and consumers of marine technology. 2) The spatial gradient diffusion of inter-city technology flow from "dual-core drive" (Beijing, Shanghai) to "multi-core resonance" (Tianjin, Qingdao, Suzhou, Nanjing and other regional core cities) has changed into a national cross-level jump-type technology diffusion. 3) The multi-dimensional proximity analysis shows that the geographical distance has significantly reduced the hindrance effect on marine technology transactions.

Grounded in Lefebvre's theory of spatial production and drawing on new materialism and assemblage theory, this study adopts a qualitative approach to examine the production of everyday labor space of traditional marine aquaculture fishermen on Guanglu Island, Changhai County, Dalian. Viewing space as the outcome of continuous interactions between human and nonhuman elements, the research reveals how natural forces, cultured organisms, labor tools, and temporary workers collectively construct and constantly reshape the fishermen's working space. Methodologically, this study combines field observation with semistructured interviews. The findings indicate that fishermen's labor space manifests in three interrelated dimensions. First, the physical space exhibits dynamic assemblage characteristics. Fishermen's work extends across the sea-land boundary, where diverse elements—humans, tools, cultured species, and natural environments—interact to form flexible, adaptive, and constantly changing spatial configurations. Second, the relational space embodies multiple tensions. The rigid demands of the marine environment and cultured species impose structural constraints, while the intervention of market and technological forces further intensifies these pressures. Within this unequal framework, fishermen rely on limited agency to negotiate contradictions and maintain production. Third, the subjective space reflects both physical and psychological predicaments. Longterm exposure to harsh environments leads to chronic pain and physical exhaustion, while repetitive work and economic uncertainty give rise to emotional numbness and a sense of helplessness.

The relationship between humans and the sea is an important component of the overall human-land relationship. However, the fundamental theoretical research on the sea in the process of human-sea interaction is relatively scarce. However, with the passage of time and the modernization of the market, the conflict between humans and the sea has gradually become more prominent. In 2016, it was fully intensified due to the illegal collection of conch shells. Subsequently, the state has implemented a series of top-down coral reef protection measures, but the results seem to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, this paper takes the protection of coral reefs in the South China Sea as a case study. Based on the deconstruction of Western marine ontology research, it constructs an analytical framework of "agency-fluidity-connectivity" to analyze the problems and internal mechanisms existing in the process of ecological protection. The research findings of this paper are as follows: 1) The agency of the ocean has different influences on the thinking and connection methods of the "nature-society" interaction. 2) The fluidity of the ocean is spatially misaligned with the ecological governance model based on the logic of land demarcation. 3) The connectivity of the ocean regards the fishing community as a social network rather than a geographical container.

Against the backdrop of place consumerism, comfort has become a vital strategy for new towns to attract talent and drive urbanization. Comfort is not merely a functional affordance of a place, but more profoundly a symbolic embodiment of place meaning, representing an empathetic response to individuals' needs of modern lifestyles. Taking the Beijiao New Town as a case study, this study employs field studies and qualitative interviews to explore how comfort, as a place meaning, emerges and evolves within the interactive dynamics between human and non-human agents. Results find that amenities, as non-human agents, exhibit agency in terms of openness and cultural dimensions, stimulating and constructing the interactions between humans and non-humans in a fundamental way. The functional comfort operates as the fundamental catalyst in place consumption, manifesting through the interplay between material affordance (objective amenities provision) and embodied perception (subjective comfort internalization).

Leisure is an important indicator for assessing the quality of life of migrants in new urban space. Researching the leisure satisfaction of migrants plays a crucial role in promoting people-oriented urbanization and achieving the strategic goal of "Healthy China." This study takes Wuhan Donghu High-Tech Zone as a case study and constructs structural equation model to reveal the influence effects of environmental perception and social interaction on leisure satisfaction. The results show that: 1) Environmental perception have a significant positive impact on leisure satisfaction, primarily through quality attractiveness and life convenience. 2) The quality of social interactions significantly enhances leisure satisfaction, whereas the intensity of social interactions does not show a significant effect. 3) Social interactions serve as a significant mediator between environmental perception and leisure satisfaction, with the proportion of the mediating effect ranging from 3.87% to 70.24%. 4) Leisure satisfaction of the older generation is influenced by both environmental perception and social interactions, whereas the younger generation is significantly affected only by social interactions. Finally, this study proposes policy recommendations from the perspectives of optimizing differentiated leisure spaces, improving community environmental quality, and constructing fully employed communities.

As a transitional outcome of China's rapid urbanization, resettlement-based transitional communities have become a critical spatial form for supporting rural residents'identity shifts and easing urban-rural disparities. This study adopts an"institution-life"interaction perspective to unravel the developmental trajectory and transformation mechanisms of such communities, drawing on evidence from Jiangyan, Jiangsu Province. The findings reveal three interrelated processes. First, institutional arrangements constitute the external driving force of transformation. Through successive phases of institutional supply, transformation, and adjustment, resettlement communities have evolved from spaces of physical relocation into more socially integrated environments, reflecting both the state's adaptive governance capacity and the structuring role of formal rules. Second, everyday practices provide the endogenous momentum for transformation. Residents' practices have shifted from informal adaptation to active participation, reshaping community order from fragmentation toward collaborative co-governance. Residents thus emerge not only as subjects of policy intervention but also as agents of spatial change. Third, the interplay between institutions and daily life drives the spiral evolution of transitional communities: institutions structure and partially codify everyday practices, while residents creatively reinterpret, internalize, and extend institutional arrangements. This reciprocal shaping underscores that China's urban-rural transformation is neither a linear extension of modernity nor a rigid persistence of tradition, but a distinctive path of integration forged through the dynamic interaction of institutions and lived practices.