40 years rural environmental protection in China: Problem evolution, policy response and institutional change

Since 1973, China's rural environmental problems have changed a lot, and many new environmental protection policies were issued in the same time. However, rural environmental protection has not been paid enough attention in a long run. Herein, the evolution of the rural environmental problems and the corresponding environmental policies in the past 40 years in China were firstly discussed based on four stages, that is, 1973 to 1979, 1980 to 1989, 1990 to 1999, and 2000 to present. Furthermore, the changes of the environmental management agency in the past 40 years were also systematically reviewed. Lastly, four targeted suggestions were put forward for future rural environmental protection in China. Key words: Environmental problem evolution, policy response, institutional change, rural environmental protection, China.