Social Transformation in Modern China The State and Local Elites in Henan, 1900–1937

Zhang sheds new light on the sources of China's modernization.

The sources and nature of China's transformation from a traditional to modern society - accelerated in the early twentieth century by the downfall of the Qing dynasty, the advent of foreign technology and increasing commercialization - are critical issues for the study of modern China. In this book, Xin Zhang uses the case of local elites and the power structure of Henan province in north-central China to demonstrate how local politics first transformed local society, challenged the state and eventually influenced change across China. Rather than focusing separately on elite mobility, social mobilization or state-making, Zhang observes changes in all three categories as interrelated aspects of a single, self-generating phenomenon of social change. Zhang's application of social science theory and rich, original, empirical data, sheds light on the sources of China's modernization, political and social identity, and the shifting relationship between the state and local elites.

List of illustrations; List of tables; Acknowledgements; Part I. Introduction: 1. Theoretical context; 2. Socioeconomic setting of Henan; Part II. Local Elites and the Transition of Community Power: 3. Local society in transition; 4. Elite mobility in a changing world; Part III. Elite Activism and Social Transformation: 5. Society as the organization of networks; 6. Local identity, localism, and crisis of legitimacy; Part IV. Modern State Making and the Interaction Between State and Society: 7. State making during the Republican period; 8. State and society in mutual engagement; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

In this book, Xin Zhang uses the case of local elites and the power structure of Henan province in north-central China to demonstrate how local politics first transformed local society, challenged the state and eventually influenced change across China.