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

About this book

"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 Chinas 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 Partys rule and Maos Great Leap Forward in the early 1950s to privatization and economic development in the 1990s Huangs compelling work unravels turbulent events that affected individuals and families in Lin Village including government control in peasants daily lives. Based on the authors continuing trips to China the second edition provides in-depth details of the effects of changeTaiwanese investment large-scale production international marketing new lifestylesand 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?