Praise for the first edition

HUANG
“An exceptional look at contemporary rural China. … The rural, peasant perspec-
Huang Shu-min
tive of this book makes it dramatically different from others. … This compelling
work deserves a wide general audience.”
—Library Journal

“Rather modest in scope, simple in analysis, and straightforward in presentation.

It is also extremely useful and in places very profound.”
—American Journal of Sociology

“The author is an anthropologist. His use of the life story of a leader in this village as
a field study technique yields remarkable insights into daily life and political change.
There are some surprises here even for avid readers of recent Chinese history.”
—Booknotes

“Huang skillfully weaves the life history of one local cadre into a coherent picture
of radical change in the Chinese countryside. Furthermore, the first-person narra-
tive style makes this a lively and absorbing book to read.”
—James L. Watson, Harvard University

“This book will be essential reading for all of those who want to understand the
dramatic transformations that are reshaping the lives of China’s peasants.”
—Martin K. Whyte, University of Michigan

Change in a Chinese Village Through

T hrough the eyes of the leading party cadre in Lin Village in southeast China, this
book unravels the turbulent events that affected individuals and families in the
village: the downfall of the landlords during the Land Reform, the rise to political the Eyes of a Communist
power of poor peasants, the political fanaticism of the Great Leap Forward and the
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and recent efforts to restore rational, pragmatic Party Leader
policies in China’s countryside.
The second edition includes two new chapters, based on the author’s continuing
visits to China. One chapter details changes in Lin Village, such as Taiwanese invest-
ment of capital, large-scale production, international marketing, and new lifestyles; the

EDITION
SECOND
other focuses on the continuing story of Mr. Ye: his ideas for expanding the villagers’
wealth, his wheeling and dealing to set up lucrative businesses in Lin Village, and his S E C O N D E D I T I O N
arrangements to secure jobs for his family members and close kin.

Huang Shu-min is professor of anthropology at Iowa State University.

CONFLICT AND SOCIAL CHANGE SERIES ISBN-13: 978-0-8133-3447-9

ISBN-10: 0-8133-3447-0

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ISBN-10: 0-8133-3447-0 ISBN-13: 978-0-8133-3447-9