Homestead management in China from the "separation of two rights" to the "separation of three rights": Visualization and analysis of hot topics and trends by mapping knowledge domains of academic papers in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI).

• Transition from "separation of two rights" to "separation of three rights" in Chinese homestead was reviewed. • There is pronounced synergy between the number of published academic papers and policies. • Typical cases for the separation of three rights need to be conducted in combination with the latest reform strategies. • It needs to build a research framework based on a comprehensive perspective. Rural to urban migration under China's rapid urbanization has created inefficient use of rural homestead land. To address these issues, there is increasing interest in rural homestead system reform in China. Although several reforms have been implemented in pilot areas, reviews of the related accumulated literature are rare. The objectives of this study are the following: (i) to discuss the research transition from the "separation of two rights" to the "separation of three rights" in homestead management and (ii) draw conclusions on current research conditions, hot topics, and trends. This study provides a reference for further and deeper rural homestead system reform in China and regions worldwide. We collected and sorted 640 research papers on the topic of the separation of three rights in homestead (hereinafter referred to as STRH) or the homestead land use rights from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and used CiteSpace and VOSviewer to visualize and map knowledge domains. The results show that: (1) From the study of the homestead land use rights to the study of the STRH, there is pronounced synergy between national policies and the number of published papers. The STRH has become a popular research field since 2018. (2) Most researchers are experts and scholars engaged in the study of agricultural economics, civil and commercial law, administrative law, or local legal systems. (3) Current and future studies on the STRH are and will be conducted in terms of the definition of concepts and connotations, confirmation of rights and registration, implementation paths, rural homestead system reform, rural revitalization strategy, reform challenges and countermeasures, risk control, and overall planning. (4) The studies on the STRH have integrity, and show characteristics of inheritance between it and studies on the homestead land use rights. (5) Studies on typical cases for the STRH should be conducted in combination with the latest strategic requirements such as rural land system reform, rural revitalization strategy, and integrated urban and rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]