Abstract
This book is a comprehensive collection of lectures, talks, and research articles published and delivered by the author, Dr Lu Xueyi, the former Dean of the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, since the 1980s. The collection covers the results of Dr Lu’s research on China’s social construction, social structure, social stratification, and development. From a sociological perspective, this book consists of extensive and in-depth reflections on social construction and modernization in contemporary China. The core questions this collection attempts to answer are as follows: What is the social structure of Chinese society in the 21st century? How should China address the problem of migrant workers? How can China form a modern society? Lu’s broad discussion of the development of contemporary Chinese society highlights the breach between social and economic development in China. The matter of social and economic development has become the primary challenge that modern China faces. The book draws attention to the growth of the middle class and the development of social structure in China. This book will become a great source for students and scholars of contemporary Chinese sociological studies.
The book comprises 12 chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to an exclusive issue focusing on social construction and development in China, thematically linked to the main idea, China perspectives. Prominent issues include the description of basic ideas and strategies for establishing a new urban housing system, rural development, sustainable development of Chinese society, theory and practice of social construction, strategic focus on China’s 12th five-year plan, the relation between China’s economic situation and social construction, how social construction is realized as social modernization, and finally, the arrival of the era of social construction in the 1990s.
The author initiates the discussion from the study of social stratification in contemporary rural areas, broadening the research scope, and formulating the study design accordingly within the framework of 10 basic contemporary Chinese social strata. Lu’s radical ideas generated huge reaction from both social and academic circles. Because of this reaction, Dr Lu explored social mobility and its influential impact on Chinese social and economic development. Furthermore, the author found, through the systemic investigation of society, social structure, development, and change in contemporary China, that the development in economic structure in the last 15 years was the rationale behind the social development and its structural constitution in China. He also presented an in-depth analysis of this socio-economic development in contemporary China and the deep-seated causes associated with this scenario.
Dr Lu argues that housing reforms and the housing construction industry are not meeting the growing demand for houses from a large homeless population. Dr Lu suggests that in 1994, per capita living space was measured at only 7.9 square meters for urban residents. Moreover, suppose the population in urban areas increases to 416 million. In that case, the level of urbanization reaches from 28% in 1994 to 32% by the year 2000. Another 1.7 billion square meters of space for housing and construction is required, which is about 50% more than it was required in 1994. Similarly, Dr Lu has discussed the new phase of development in rural areas, especially after 1996 onwards when the agricultural market became sluggish, sales of agricultural products have been sagging with price fluctuation, and price drops. Furthermore, village and township enterprises are declining. Ultimately, the farmers’ income increased at a very slow pace.
In addition, through his lectures, Dr Lu argues that the main problems are building a new socialist rural development structure, accelerating the current reform system for household registration, and China’s main task for social modernization in the next 30 years. These problems are the reflections of periodical changes in the development of the rural economy and agriculture. At present, the major problem is how to comprehend the new phase of development in rural areas in China. Dr Lu asks fundamental questions to understand the new stage of rural development, like what are the tasks and goals at this new phase? How can the new tasks and missions in this new development phase be realized in rural areas? What methods and policies should be implemented to resolve the present difficulties? This book also helps to answer these basic questions in both practical and theoretical terms.
In short, the main concept of this collection stems from systemic thinking and deep observation of the epochal characteristics of social and economic development in China. Moreover, this book elaborates on China’s significant achievements in economic spheres after more than 60 years of socialist construction, modernization described, and reform. This book explores the 30-year phase after modernization in China, the economic development in this era, and the increasing national and international strength acknowledged globally. Consequently, people’s living standards and habits have improved significantly. Dr Lu has marked this phase in Chinese history as the intermediate stage of economic development and industrialization.
Meanwhile, profound changes in social development have also taken place, especially in rural areas; however, these changes have displayed features incongruous with economic development in China. Alongside the development of economic structures, social problems have also occurred constantly, such as disharmony, social instability, social conflicts, and social contradictions. Therefore, Dr Lu examines the lack of coordination between economic and social developments as the major reason behind social contradiction and how to solve this contradiction as a challenge for modern China. This book will be of interest to all scholars and students of Chinese Studies and Sociology.
