“This is a fascinating work written from a unique perspective that provides great insight into the tumultuous changes in Chinese rural life in the latter half of the twentieth century.” — Robert Cliver, Humboldt State University
“The author is an anthropologist. His use of the life story of a leader in this village as a field study technique yields remarkable insights into daily life and political change. There are some surprises here even for avid readers of recent Chinese history.” — Booknotes
“Extremely useful and in places very profound.” — American Journal of Sociology
“Huang skillfully weaves the life history of one local cadre into a coherent picture of radical change in the Chinese countryside. The first-person narrative style makes this a lively and absorbing book to read.” — James L. Watson, Harvard University
250 pages, $31.95 list
1-4786-1130-8
978-1-4786-1130-1
© 1998
paperback
eBook availability
The Spiral Road
Change in a Chinese Village through the Eyes of a Communist Party Leader
Second Edition
“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 China’s 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 Party’s rule and Mao’s Great Leap Forward in the early 1950s to privatization and economic development in the 1990s, Huang’s compelling work unravels turbulent events that affected individuals and families in Lin Village, including government control in peasants’ daily lives.
Based on the author’s continuing trips to China, the second edition provides in-depth details of the effects of change—Taiwanese investment, large-scale production, international marketing, new lifestyles—and 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.
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 Party’s rule and Mao’s Great Leap Forward in the early 1950s to privatization and economic development in the 1990s, Huang’s compelling work unravels turbulent events that affected individuals and families in Lin Village, including government control in peasants’ daily lives.
Based on the author’s continuing trips to China, the second edition provides in-depth details of the effects of change—Taiwanese investment, large-scale production, international marketing, new lifestyles—and 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.
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Introduction
The Chinese Peasantry in Historical Context / About This Book / Significance of the Book
1. Prologue
Reflections on My Coming / Lin Village: First Impressions / Getting Acquainted
2. Family History
A Walk to the Tomb / The Importance of Geomancy
3. The Liberation
The Land Reform / School Years
4. Hunger, Hunger
The Great Leap Forward / Becoming a Political Activist
5. Joining the Act
The Four Cleanups / The Campaign
6. Return Home
A Peasant's Story / Cultural Revolution / Ye's Marriage and Family
7. Security Head
Ye Settles a Dispute / Internal Conflicts in the Village / More Village Crimes
8. Prosperous Years
The Strategy of Prosperity / Back-Door Connections
9. The Breakup
Ritual Celebration / Ritual Celebration: Analysis / Family Division / Dismantling the Collective
10. Village Cadres
Family Planning Campaign / Implementing the Policy / Ye's Analysis / Ye as Mediator / Ye's Programs
11. Village Change in the 1990s
Village Population / Social Problems Associated with Increased Population / Village Security Force / Theft in the Village
12. Whither Lin Village?
Lin Village's Recent Change / Ye's Female Companion / Village Party Election / The Revival of the Lin Lineage / Casting the Ballots / Ye's Analysis of the Election and Arrangement for Wang
The Chinese Peasantry in Historical Context / About This Book / Significance of the Book
1. Prologue
Reflections on My Coming / Lin Village: First Impressions / Getting Acquainted
2. Family History
A Walk to the Tomb / The Importance of Geomancy
3. The Liberation
The Land Reform / School Years
4. Hunger, Hunger
The Great Leap Forward / Becoming a Political Activist
5. Joining the Act
The Four Cleanups / The Campaign
6. Return Home
A Peasant's Story / Cultural Revolution / Ye's Marriage and Family
7. Security Head
Ye Settles a Dispute / Internal Conflicts in the Village / More Village Crimes
8. Prosperous Years
The Strategy of Prosperity / Back-Door Connections
9. The Breakup
Ritual Celebration / Ritual Celebration: Analysis / Family Division / Dismantling the Collective
10. Village Cadres
Family Planning Campaign / Implementing the Policy / Ye's Analysis / Ye as Mediator / Ye's Programs
11. Village Change in the 1990s
Village Population / Social Problems Associated with Increased Population / Village Security Force / Theft in the Village
12. Whither Lin Village?
Lin Village's Recent Change / Ye's Female Companion / Village Party Election / The Revival of the Lin Lineage / Casting the Ballots / Ye's Analysis of the Election and Arrangement for Wang