Power Sharing in Rural China Behind Social Transformation : Traditional Culture, Town and Village Enterprises, and Rural Governance

TL;DR: In the last two decades of the twentieth century, the economy, politics, and society of the Chinese countryside began several new transformations as discussed by the authors, and the substance of these transformations can be seen in the changes in, and the restructuring of, the relationship between the nation and the countryside.

Abstract: In the final two decades of the twentieth century, the economy, politics, and society of the Chinese countryside began several new transformations. Behind the macroscopic view of taking economic construction as the focus, this transformation in rural society has had changes in economic life, social structure, and political culture as its primary features. The substance of these transformations can be seen in the changes in, and the restructuring of, the relationship between the nation and the countryside and the nation and the peasantry. In 2001 and 2002, we researched these topics in twelve provinces and fifteen villages, doing both investigations and comparisons. Rural power structures were taken as the entry point, with respect to traditional culture, town and village enterprises, and rural governance as aspects to be considered and observed. Finally, a description of the process of transformation of rural society will follow, in order to recreate the period of reconstruction and adjustment of power st...