China's New Social Fabric

By: Godwin C. Chu and Francis L.K. Hsu

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Synopsis: First published in 1983.China has undergone tumultuous changes in the last thirty years, yet Chinese society as not only stayed intact, but has made progress. The pace at which the country has reunited following the death of Chairman Mao has taken the outside world by surprise. The contributors to this book ask what are the integrative factors in contemporary China that have held the society together during the course of its revolutionary transformation and examine various aspects of the Chinese social system for clues to the answer. What they have found is a new Chinese social fabric that in part has its roots in China's traditional social and cultural foundations. they show how the Chinese system draws its strength from the local communities and is integrated through an intricate web of communication channels, mostly laid down since the founding of the People's republic in 1949. The downfall of the radicals after the death o Mao has altered the policy regarding the interim objectives of the system, but not its basic structural processes. China's experience in the last thirty years, both in its success and setbacks, will be interest to many developing societies.