sustainability Article The Temporal and Spatial Differentiation Characteristics of Three Industry Convergence Development in Deeply Impoverished Areas in China Na Zhang 1,2 , Xiangxiang Zhang 1 and Peng Li 3,* 1 School of Economics and Management, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; [email protected] (N.Z.); [email protected] (X.Z.) 2 Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China 3 College of Economics and Management, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-186-5140-5640 Received: 27 November 2019; Accepted: 15 January 2020; Published: 22 January 2020 Abstract: The integrated development of the three industries is the focal point and breakthrough point for the realization of industrial poverty alleviation in the deeply impoverished areas. This paper, taking 169 poverty-stricken counties in deeply impoverished areas as the research object, calculated the level of three industrial integration development in deeply impoverished areas from 2013 to 2016. Based on this, the spatial statistical analysis method was used to explore the spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics of the three industrial integration development levels in deeply impoverished areas. The results show that the level of integrated development of the three industries in the deeply impoverished areas of China is generally low, and there is great room for improvement. There are significant spatial correlation and spatial heterogeneity, and the phenomenon of bipolar agglomeration is more and more obvious. This study can provide a theoretical basis and decision-making reference for the formulation and implementation of poverty alleviation policies in deeply impoverished areas. Keywords: deeply impoverished areas; three industry convergence; development level; time and space differentiation 1. Introduction Since the reform and opening-up, China has gone from “the national economy to the brink of collapse” to the second-largest economic entity in the world. China’s achievements in economic construction have attracted worldwide attention. Since the reform and opening-up in 1978, the growth rate of China’s economy has been fluctuating with distinct stages. From 1978 to 1991, this period was the transition period of China’s economy. The macroeconomic thought had completed the transition from the “comprehensive balance” to the “macro-control” paradigm, and the fluctuations in monetary growth were most obvious at this time. From 1992 to 1997, China’s economy developed at a fairly brisk pace, the socialist market economy system was basically established, and the idea of macro-control was basically formed and successfully applied. From 1998 to 2002, China suffered from the Asian financial crisis, and its economic growth was delayed to some extent. From 2003 to 2012, China’s economy recovered and developed at a high speed. Since 2013, China’s economy has shifted from extensive growth of scale and speed to intensive growth of quality and efficiency, and China’s economic development has entered a new routine (GDP and its growth rate are shown in Figure1). At present, China’s economy is in the midst of a transition period, and its industrial structure has yet to be adjusted. In the process of economic transformation, the Central and Eastern European countries, especially Sustainability 2020, 12, 831; doi:10.3390/su12030831 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2020, 12, 831 2 of 19 Sustainability 2020, 12, 831 2 of 18 are shown in Figure 1). At present, China’s economy is in the midst of a transition period, and its industrial structure has yet to be adjusted. In the process of economic transformation, the Central and EasternPoland, theEuropean Czech Republic,countries, andespecially Hungary, Poland, continued the Czech to decline Republic, in the proportionand Hungary, of total continued agricultural to declineand industrial in the proportion output value, of total and agricultural the proportion and of in totaldustrial output output value value, of the an serviced the proportion industry continued of total outputto increase, value which of the providedservice industry valuable continued experience to increase, for the transformation which provided and valuable upgrading experience of China’s for theindustrial transformation structure and [1]. upgrading of China’s industrial structure [1]. 1,000,000 16 900,000 14 800,000 12 700,000 10 600,000 500,000 8 400,000 6 300,000 4 200,000 2 100,000 0 0 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 GDP(hundred million) growth rate(%) FigureFigure 1. 1. China’sChina’s GDP GDP and and its its growth growth rate rate from from 1978 1978 to to 2018. 2018. Under the new normal, the process of value creation is gradually changed by intelligence, Under the new normal, the process of value creation is gradually changed by intelligence, networking, deregulation and innovative management, so that the industrial structure boundary networking, deregulation and innovative management, so that the industrial structure boundary within the same industry or between different industries gradually fades, blurs, or even disappears. within the same industry or between different industries gradually fades, blurs, or even disappears. As a new trend of modern industrial development, the integration of three industries is a new industrial As a new trend of modern industrial development, the integration of three industries is a new development mode that promotes traditional industries to seek new development and expand and industrial development mode that promotes traditional industries to seek new development and extend, promotes the optimization and upgrading of traditional industrial structure, meets higher level expand and extend, promotes the optimization and upgrading of traditional industrial structure, of consumer demand, and gives new vitality to industrial development [2]. A reasonable industrial meets higher level of consumer demand, and gives new vitality to industrial development [2]. 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[9 ], Inmanufacturing addition, scholars industry explored and service industrial industry integration [10], cultural from the industry aspects and of the tourism telecom [11 ],industry cross-border [9], manufacturingelectricity and logisticsindustry [and12] andservice exploring industry the [10], business cultural model industry innovation and tourism of the APPLE[11], cross-border (Cupertino, electricityCA, USA) and company logistics with [12] the and world’s exploring strongest the business technological model innovation innovation of capabilitythe APPLE in (Cupertino, the process CA,of industrial USA) company integration with the [13 ].world’s Up tostrongest now, it technological is widely accepted innovation that capability industry in convergence the process isof a industrialdynamic developmentintegration [13]. process Up to of now, knowledge, it is widely technology, accepted products,that industry and convergence market between is a dynamic different developmentindustries from process being of independent knowledge, to technology, continuously products, cross and and penetrate, market between gradually different breaking industries through fromthe industrial being independent boundary and to formingcontinuously new formats cross and [14, 15penetrate,]. Because gradually the industrial breaking integration through is a the new Sustainability 2020, 12, 831 3 of 18 trend for the development of modern industry, the research perspectives focused on tourism and cultural industry [16,17], industrialization and informatization [18,19], information technology and manufacturing [20,21], equipment manufacturing industry and producer services [22,23], and other areas of the two-dimensional