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This book addresses the mystery and diversity of urbanization in China, especially with regard to urban villages. The "village in the city" is a unique social phenomenon in the process of Chinese urbanization. A local village society composed of deep-rooted social networks linked by blood, geography, folk beliefs, and folk customs is the outcome of a complex social process, which is accompanied by changes in property rights, restructuring of social networks, and conflicting benefits and values. The end of the village is the epitome of social transformation, and for China as a whole, this change may take a very long time to complete. This book includes various examples of and stories on urban villages, offering readers a wealth of insights into the phenomenon and its significance.
List of contents
Foreword:The End of the Village: the Urban Villages' Great Transformations over the Last Decade.- Examining the "Urban Village": My Methodology in Studying "The End of Villages".- The Worship of Land and Enterprising Spirit.- A Village Without Arable Land and Agriculture.- The Village Boundaries and Life Radius.- From "Village Unit System" to "Village Corporate System".- The Village-turned Enterprise and Internal Market.- Rental Housing Market and Peasants' Rationality.- Social Embeddedness and Incomplete Property Rights.- Informal Institutions and Village Social Networks.- The Exchange of "Renqing" and Private Lending in Rural Areas.- The Replicative Cycle, Replacement and Succession of Village Power.- The Social Stratification Structures in the Urban Villages: the Established and the Generated.- The Underground Economy of Urban Villages.- Conflict and Integration During the End of the Village: Relocation of Ancestral Tombs and Change of Residences.- Appendix The Stories of Yangcheng Village.- Bibliography.- Afterword and Acknowledgements.
About the author
Peilin Li is Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Member, Senior Researcher, and Doctoral Supervisor. He is also a Member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Member of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, a Member of The National "thirteen-five" Planning Expert Committee, Convenor of the Sociology Group of the National Social Science Fund Awards Committee, etc.
