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Based on in-depth ethnographic research - and using an approach that seeks to understand how migration is experienced by the migrants themselves - this is a fascinating study of the experiences of women in rural China who joined the vast migration to Beijing and other cities at the end of the twentieth century. It focuses on the experiences of rural-urban migrants, the particular ways in which they talk about those experiences, and how those experiences affect their sense of identity. Through first-hand accounts of actual migrant workers, the author provides valuable insights into how rural wo

China's rapid economic growth, modernization and globalization have led to astounding social changes. Contemporary China provides a fascinating portrayal of society and social change in the contemporary People's Republic of China. This book introduces readers to key sociological perspectives, themes and debates about Chinese society. It explores topics such as family life, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, labour, religion, education, class and rural/urban inequalities. It considers China's imperial past, the social and institutional legacies of the Maoist era, and the momentous forces shaping it in the present. It also emphasises diversity and multiplicity, encouraging readers to consider new perspectives and rethink Western stereotypes about China and its people. Real-life case studies illustrate the key features of social relations and change in China. Definitions of key terms, discussion questions and lists of further reading help consolidate learning. Including full-colour maps and photographs, this book offers remarkable insight into Chinese society and social change

Since 1978, reform policies introduced in rural China have had a profound impact on women's work and gender divisions of labour. This book provides detailed information on shifts in women's work patterns. It explains how and why these shifts have come about, and how they relate to women's position in society. While other aspects of reform in rural China have been analysed extensively, this is one of very few, and to date the most comprehensive studies of the effects of reform on rural women

In the last three decades in China, few and declining numbers of women have participated in the main grassroots institutions of rural government, the village committee and the village branch of the Chinese Communist Party. This article examines a project

Since the 1990s, a number of women's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have undertaken overseas-funded participatory gender and development projects in rural China. Through their efforts to empower women and increase their community participation, these NGOs and the projects they run are introducing new ideas and practices relating to governance, as well as to gender and development. The aim of this report is to understand the dimensions of the new approaches to rural governance, the history and politics of their introduction, the directions in which they are shaping governance in villages across China, and their impact on gender relations. The report focuses on the work of West Women, a large women's NGO based in Xi'an, the capital of the western province of Shaanxi, and on two overseas-funded participatory development projects run by West Women in Danfeng and Ningshan counties, in Shaanxi.

In the last three decades in China, few and declining numbers of women have participated in the main grassroots institutions of rural government, the village committee and the village branch of the Chinese Communist Party. This article examines a project

Since the 1990s, a number of women's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have undertaken overseas-funded participatory gender and development projects in rural China. Through their efforts to empower women and increase their community participation, these NGOs and the projects they run are introducing new ideas and practices relating to governance, as well as to gender and development. The aim of this report is to understand the dimensions of the new approaches to rural governance, the history and politics of their introduction, the directions in which they are shaping governance in villages across China, and their impact on gender relations. The report focuses on the work of West Women, a large women's NGO based in Xi'an, the capital of the western province of Shaanxi, and on two overseas-funded participatory development projects run by West Women in Danfeng and Ningshan counties, in Shaanxi.

In recent years, large-scale labor migration has had a significant impact on the social landscape of rural China. Large numbers of rural Chinese men work away from home for long periods until they reach late middle age, while rural women also often migrate when young, but generally return to the countryside to get married. After marriage and childbirth, most women remain in the village, but repeated episodes of migration are increasingly common among married women in their 20s and 30s. Consequently, much of the Chinese countryside is dominated by split households and a depleted, shifting population of middle-aged women, children and the elderly. (China J/GIGA)

In the last three decades in China, few and declining numbers of women have participated in the main grassroots institutions of rural government, the village committee and the village branch of the Chinese Communist Party. This article examines a project aimed at addressing this problem, initiated in 2003 in Heyang county, Shaanxi, by one of China's largest and most influential women's nongovernmental organizations, West Women, together with the state-affiliated Women's Federation. The article discusses the goals, strategies, and short-term results of the Heyang Project. It then discusses the longer-term potential of the Heyang model for achieving greater gender equity and women's empowerment in rural China. Previous studies have critiqued Chinese approaches to the goal of increasing women's participation in village government, but have not questioned the desirability or need for the goal itself. In this article, the author takes the critique one step further, to provoke questions about the very desirability of increasing women's participation in village government. She concludes that when viewed in light of other recent trends, notably large-scale rural out-migration and tax reforms, increasing women's participation in village government may not have as desirable or significant an impact on gender relations as has previously been assumed. (Crit Asian Stud/GIGA)