The leading Party cadre of Lin Village in Southeast China describes in this book forty years of turbulent events that affected individuals and families in the village: the downfall of the landlords during the Land Reform, the rise of poor peasants to political power, the political fanaticism of the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and recent efforts to restore rational, pragmatic policies in China's countryside.The magnitude of change in Lin Village since 1949 has been considerable. Most villagers have benefited from tangible improvements in agriculture, education, and medicine, and they have developed a sense of political participation and integration into the national political arena. Significantly, while these dynamic changes have been taking place, the observance of cultural tradition has persisted. Attempts made by the government to change "feudalistic" beliefs and practices have yet to make any lasting impression on village life.More than an account of one village, this book documents for readers the cataclysmic changes of China's entire post-liberation era, detailing their effects in a personalized style. An American anthropologist of Chinese descent, Huang Shu-min employs participant-observation and personal interviews to shape this unique view of rural China today and to delineate some of the misconceptions held by Western academics.

The Spiral Road: Change In A Chinese Village Through The Eyes Of A Communist Party Leader

Huang, Shu-Min

Reference

Routledge

Reproducing Chinese Culture in Diaspora discusses how a group of anti-communist Chinese exiles from Yunnan Province have managed to establish a rural livelihood in Thailand's northern hills over the past half century. When faced with the seemingly invincible Communist forces that were sweeping across the Mainland, these nationals retreated in 1949 or shortly thereafter to the Golden Triangle that sits astride the borders of Burma, Laos, and Thailand in voluntary exile. This book mainly concerns their hardships as they have struggled to carve out a new life along with their attempts to find an agricultural identity in the area. Initially gaining power as drug traffickers and narco-kings, the Yunnan exiles have transformed into sustainable farming leaders. Yet, despite their success in establishing themselves in Thailand, their community is facing a steep decline that threatens their long time survival. Part of their rationale in leaving communist China in search of a new settlement in the Golden Triangle, the exiles sought to protect Chinese traditions and ideals in the face of what they felt was Western influence. Yet, in their attempts to maintain their traditions, they've drifted to the opposite extreme, treating those traditions as sacrosanct and adhering to them rigidly. As a result, many of the younger generations are fleeing the communities from this "cultural petrification," and those who stay openly challenge the authoritarian old guard in a desire to modernize. This clash of old vs new severely strains a prosperous yet fragile community, clouding its future in uncertainty.

Reproducing Chinese Culture in Diaspora: Sustainable Agriculture and Petrified Culture in Northern Thailand

Business & Money

Industries

Lexington Books

The leading Party cadre of Lin Village in Southeast China describes in this book forty years of turbulent events that affected individuals and families in the village: the downfall of the landlords during the Land Reform, the rise of poor peasants to political power, the political fanaticism of the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and recent efforts to restore rational, pragmatic policies in China's countryside.The magnitude of change in Lin Village since 1949 has been considerable. Most villagers have benefited from tangible improvements in agriculture, education, and medicine, and they have developed a sense of political participation and integration into the national political arena. Significantly, while these dynamic changes have been taking place, the observance of cultural tradition has persisted. Attempts made by the government to change feudalistic” beliefs and practices have yet to make any lasting impression on village life.More than an account of one village, this book documents for readers the cataclysmic changes of China's entire post-liberation era, detailing their effects in a personalized style. An American anthropologist of Chinese descent, Huang Shu-min employs participant-observation and personal interviews to shape this unique view of rural China today and to delineate some of the misconceptions held by Western academics.

History

Asia

Westview Press

The leading Party cadre of Lin Village in southeast China describes in this book nearly fifty years of turbulent events that affected individuals and families in the village: the downfall of the landlords during the Land Reform, the rise of poor peasants to political power, the political fanaticism of the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and recent efforts to restore rational, pragmatic policies in China's countryside.The magnitude of change in Lin Village since 1949 has been considerable. Most villagers have benefited from tangible improvements in agriculture, education, and medicine, and they have developed a sense of political participation and integration into the national political arena. Significantly, while these dynamic changes have been taking place, the observance of cultural tradition has persisted. Attempts made by the government to change feudalistic” beliefs and practices have yet to make any lasting impression on village life.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 investment of capital, large-scale production, international marketing, and new lifestyles. Physically, Lin Village has become a small market town with large department stores and daily vegetable markets; and living in European-style villas, driving imported automobiles, and walking with a cellular phone in hand has become the prototype of the successful person. The other chapter 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 arrangements to secure jobs for his family members and close kin.More than an account of one village, this book documents for readers the cataclysmic changes of China's entire post-liberation era, detailing their effects in a personalized style. An American anthropologist of Chinese descent, Huang Shu-min employs participant-observation and personal interviews to shape this unique view of rural China today and to delineate some of the misconceptions held by Western academics.

The Spiral Road: Change In A Chinese Village Through The Eyes Of A Communist Party Leader, Second Edition (Conflict and Social Change Series)

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Shu-min, Huang

Agricultural Development in China/Bibliographies in Technology and Social Change Ser.

Ge Xiao-Jia

Iowa State Univ Technology & social

"An exceptional look at contemporary rural China," stated Library Journal when The Spiral Road first appeared. The Spiral Road has since become essential reading for understanding the dramatic transformations reshaping the lives of China's peasants.
 Through the eyes of Party Secretary Ye Wende, anthropologist Huang Shu-min combines a life history approach with participant observation to illustrate the path of change in a village in southeast China. Beginning with the Communist Party's rule and Mao's Great Leap Forward in the early 1950s to privatization and economic development in the 1990s, Huang's compelling work unravels turbulent events that affected individuals and families in Lin Village, including government control in peasants' daily lives.
 Based on the author's continuing trips to China, the second edition provides in-depth details of the effects of change—Taiwanese investment, large-scale production, international marketing, new lifestyles—and the ongoing story of Mr. Ye: his ideas for expanding the villagers' wealth, his manipulation in establishing lucrative businesses in Lin Village, and his arrangements to secure jobs for his family members and close kin. This multidimensional account reveals the challenges of balancing traditional customs and values with vibrant changes imposed by governing authorities.
 Table of Contents:
 Introduction 1. Prologue 2. Family History 3. The Liberation 4. Hunger, Hunger 5. Joining the Act 6. Return Home 7. Security Head 8. Prosperous Years 9. The Breakup 10. Village Cadres 11. Village Change in the 1990s 12. Whither Lin Village?

The Spiral Road: Change in a Chinese Village Through the Eyes of a Communist Party Leader, Second Edition

Anthropology

Waveland Press. Inc.

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