The Re-Emergence of the Chinese Peasantry

The re-emergence of the Chinese peasantry was arguably the single most dramatic development in rural China since the Revolution. Nearly two decades after the collectivisation in the Chinese countryside, the communes—cornerstones of the Maoist strategy of rural socialist transition—were effectively peasantised. This profound change reversed the trajectory of institutional transformation and ran counter both to orthodox as well as Maoist tenets guiding socialist construction. First published in 1987, The Re-Emergence of the Chinese Peasantry, based on extensive original research, examines salient aspects of these developments at sectoral and sub-sectoral levels relying both on evidence from longitudinal analysis as well as findings on field investigations conducted by authors in rural China. It investigates the nature and dimensions of the new trends, scrutinises the rationale underlying the strategic policy shifts, and elicits some longer term, wider implications of this systemic realignment for Chinese rural economy and society.