An excellent book on a difficult problem
In-depth case studies of the Chinese countryside
Exclusive interviews with the grassroots leaders of rural China
Includes social impact of China's transforming economy
'Hail the brilliance of Chen Chih-jou. He has smashed this common (mis)understanding of China in a book that is nothing short of revolutionary in how we must come to understand China: in disunity' - Asia Times Online
'This is one of the most insightful books on contemporary China, and arguably the most important.' - Asia Times Online
'Debates over the role of the local state in China's market transition have generated an important substream of scholarship exploring changes in rural property rights. This book is a welcome contribution to the topic.' - The China Journal
'By taking the issues of location, place and region seriously, the author offers fresh and valuable insights to support what has been written by sociologists and economists. Geographers will be delighted with the argument that place still matters in the current era of globalization...the book stands as an interesting and valuable addition to the literature on the on-going transformation of rural China.' -Pacific Affairs, Vol 78 No 2, Summer 2005
'Hail the brilliance of Chen Chih-jou. He has smashed this common (mis)understanding of China in a book that is nothing short of revolutionary in how we must come to understand China: in disunity' - Asia Times Online
'This is one of the most insightful books on contemporary China, and arguably the most important.' - Asia Times Online
'Debates over the role of the local state in China's market transition have generated an important substream of scholarship exploring changes in rural property rights. This book is a welcome contribution to the topic.' - The China Journal
'Chih-jou jay Chen's recourse to a sociologial approach opens new perspectives for research into the development of property rights as they affect China's rural enterprises.' - China Perspectives
Chih-Jou Jay Chen is Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica
Plates Maps Tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction: Notes from the Field 1. Explaining Property Rights Transformations Part 1: The Yangtze Delta Property Rights Transformations 2. The Yangtze Delta in the Reform Era 3. The Yangtze Delta in the Post-Reform Era 4. Shuang Village: The Case Study Part 2: Southern Fujian Property Rights Transformations 5. Southern Fujian under Economic Reforms 6. Hancun Village: The Case Study 7. Local Institutions and the Future of China