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

Huang Shu-min (Author), Shu-min Huang (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813334470 | ISBN-13: 978-0813334479 | Publication Date: April 3, 1998 | Edition: 2

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

An exceptional look at contemporary rural China. Huang (anthropology, Iowa State) skillfully penetrates the barriers of culture, class, etc., to reveal life in a coastal village. The book covers the past 40 years through the perspective of Ye Wende, village leader and local Communist party secretary, whom Huang met in 1984 when he went to southeastern China to teach and do fieldwork. From Ye we hear about events that have shaken rural China: land reform, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. The rural, peasant perspective of this book makes it dramatically different from others. Only Anita Chan et al., Chen Village: The Present History of a Peasant Community in Mao's China (LJ 5/1/84), provides comparable insight. Huang's book, however, is more readable and less an academic treatise. Although published by an academic house, this compelling work deserves a wide general audience.
- David D. Buck, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Huang Shu-min is professor of anthropology at Iowa State University. Huang Shu-min is professor of anthropology at Iowa State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; 2 edition (April 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813334470
• ISBN-13: 978-0813334479
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars communism in rural China, December 15, 2000

By 

Richard Shanner (Long Beach Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spiral Road: Change In A Chinese Village Through The Eyes Of A Communist Party Leader, Second Edition (Development, Conflict, and Social Change) (Paperback)

An outstanding book that lets you see how communism worked in this village to transform the way of life. Mr. Shu-min was an American professor who had permission to spend time in this village. He made friends with the Man who was in charge, who had been born in 1946 a few short years before the communists won out. Change in village really started with the land reform of the early fifties, that tried to even out land ownership. Every thing went great for the first few years, production increased, life got better for everyone. The people became believers, then in 1958 Mao led them down the path of the insanity called the great leap forward with the establishment of the People's Communes. There was supposed to be rural industrial development by building backyard furnaces to make steel.They backed away from the farming and wasted time on the furnace. As this happened everywhere in China it led to starvation. It was made worse by local officials trying to meet assigned targets lying to higher officials about what was really happened. This led to their continuing down the wrong path. Not everything that happened in the village was such a disaster. Finally the village worked things out and started to build a better life for everyone. I found especially interesting the discussion of the way they handled birth control. Having male heirs to continue the family is of extreme importance to the Chinese. But also the curtailing of population increase means only one child per family. How all that is handled is extremely interesting. Really a fascinating story of how a well run village works.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nicley done book., October 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Spiral Road: Change In A Chinese Village Through The Eyes Of A Communist Party Leader, Second Edition (Development, Conflict, and Social Change) (Paperback)

I read the book for my sociology class and I will say that I am impressed by it. It is written very well and Huang Shu-min did a great job conveying the changes in Lin Village after the Chinese Communist Party takes over CHina. The book can be challenging to people, especially those who are forced to read it. An I feel you have to have an interst of Asia to actually get into the book. So if you do have this intrest, I recomend that you buy it.